3 , i- ^ ^i , 




:A SV^ S- 





LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



X 



Shelf .-i.L.ll. 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



A- DAY 



ANCIENT ROME 



BEING A REVISION OF LOHR'S " AUS DEM ALTEN ROM," 
WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS, 



BY 



EDGAR S. SHUMWAY 



PROFESSOR OF THE LATIN LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE, RUTGERS COLLEGE 
PRINCIPAL OF CHAUTAUQUA ACADEMIA OF LATIN AND GREEK 



(» 



'"'' FrojJt the very soil oy silent Rome 
You shall grow wise; and walking, live again 
The lives of buried peoples y — J. A. S. 

''^ Rome est cause qtie vous n'etes plus barbares, elle 
vous a appris la cirilite et la religion^ — Balzac 



NEW YORK 

CHAUTAUQUA PRESS 

C. L. S. C. DEPARTMENT 
1885 



LATINE, 

A monthly journal (in Latin and English) devoted to the Latin language and 

literature, edited by Edgar S. Shumway. Vol. L, published by 

the Editor; Vols. IL and IIL, pubhshed by 

D. Appleton & Company. 



A HAND-BOOK OF LATIN SYNONYMES 

(based upon Meissner), by Edgar S. Shumway, published by 
GiNNAND Company. 



Copyright, 1885, by EDGAR S. SHUMWAY. 



The required books of the C. L. S. C. are recommended by a Council of six. It must, however, be understood that 
recommendation does not involve an approval by the Council, or by any member of it, of every principle or doctrine con- 
tained in the book recommended. 



Gilliss Brothers & Turnure, Art Age Press, 75 Fulton St., N. Y. 



CORRIGENDA. 



Page 15, line 17, for " ; " read " , ". 

" 17, " 2j, for "monuments" read "mementos." 
" 62, " 20, for "gymnasium" read "high school." 
" 68, " yi, after "Corinthian" insert ("), and, in place 
of the next sentence, read " It is about 620 
feet long, 525 feet wide, and 157 feet high." 
** 78, " 7, for "tutors" r^^^ "guardians (/2^/<5»r^j-)." 
** 83, " 13, after "(c" read "page 57)." 



PREFACE. 



IF some liberty has been taken with Dr. Lohr's " Aus de^n alien Ro7n," it has 
been either in view of more recent excavations at Rome, or for the sake of 
illustration or greater perspicuity. Perhaps it will be pardoned me if I seize the 
opportunity to press upon any reader who is not yet a student of Latin the prac- 
ticability as well as desirability of an acquaintance with Latin literature — 

" Tully's voice, and Virgil's lay, 
And Livy's pictured page " — 

and that too not through translations and special treatises alone, even if so 
attractive as Dr. Wilkinson's admirable "After School Series," but in the Latin 
language itself. Weighty are the words of Schopenhauer : '* A man who does 
not understand Latin is like one who walks through a beautiful region in a fog ; 
his horizon is very close to him. He sees only the nearest things clearly, and a 
few steps away from him the outlines of everything become indistinct or wholly 
lost. But the horizon of the Latin scholar extends far and wide through the 
centuries of modern history, the middle ages, and antiquity." 

May this little book prove not only an aid, but even an incentive ! 

Acknowledgment of assistance is here made to Mrs'. Minna V. Fitch, to Miss 
Katharine H. Austin for her translation of Horace's ninth satire, to Mr. Samuel 
M. Otto of the Chautauqua Academia of Latin and Greek, and to Mr. Sherman 
G. Pitt and Mr. Melvin D. Brandow, students at Rutgers College. 



EDGAR S. SHUMWAY. 



Rutgers College, 
New Brunswick, N. J., 
June 17, 1885. 







A^^ e ntine 
RONIA ANTIQUISSIMA. 



J 



A DAY IN ANCIENT ROME. 



ivy Rome I often think of you, and wish you, 

too, might tread the squares and streets 

through which have walked the Roman authors 

whose works you are studying, as well as the men 

of whom they speak. 

The Latin historians, orators and poets, from 
Nepos to Horace and Tacitus, would become much 
more familiar and dear to you if you could see 
where they lived and wrote. And, out of the dead 
letters, living forms would arise, if you could read 
them in that place to which they carry you in 
spirit, that is, in Rome itself. 
Perhaps I can, in a measure, make up for your loss in not 
being able to see these places, by telling you what letters and 
stones here have told me. But, to follow me aright, you must 
direct your thoughts (you know they are always ready for a flying 
trip from the class-room) toward sunny Italy. Fancy you are visit- 
ing me here, every one of you ; whither, then, should I rather lead 
you than to the central points of the old city? 

To take our bearings as speedily as possible, let us go to the 
Corso. This is the most animated street of Rome, and runs in a 
straight line from the Porta del Po'polo to the Piazza di Vene'zia. It 




PLAN OF MODERN ROME. 




THE CAMPUS MARTIUS. 7 

corresponds toward the north with the ancient Via Flaimn'ia, and 
toward the south with the Via Lata. 

It was once spanned by the triumphal arches of Marcus Aurelius, 
Domitian and Claudius, but they have all disappeared. 

By this street we cross the Campus Martins (Field of Mars), the 
great play-ground of the ancient Romans. Here the young people 
ran, wrestled and fenced, or played their favorite games of ball. As 
it is the custom among the better classes in Rome to-day to take a 
promenade or pleasure-drive in the Corso in the afternoon, so the 
ancient Romans, after business hours {^^post decisa ne^-otia"), resorted 
to the Campus Martius. Horace is one of the more sensible ones : 
he goes to the bath when the heat of the sun becomes too oppres- 
sive : 

" Ast ubi me fessu7n sol acrior ire lavatum 
Admonuit, fugio campum lusumque trzgonem." ' 

" And when the sunbeams, grown too hot to bear, 
Warn me to quit the field, and hand-ball play. 
The bath takes all my weariness away." 

Though, to be sure, Shakespeare speaks of a more vigorous 
swim in the Tiber, at this spot : 

" Once, upon a raw and gusty day, 
The troubled Tiber chafing with her shores, 
CcBsar said to me, ' Dar'st thou, Cassius, now 
Leap in with me into this angry flood. 
And swim to yonder point ? ' Upon the word. 
Accoutred as I was, I plunged in, 
And bade him follow — so, indeed, he did : 
The torrent roared ; and we did buffet it 
With lusty sinews ; throwing it aside, 
And stemming it with hearts of controversy." 

— Julius CcEsar. 

But serious matters were also undertaken in this extensive 
** field." Here the people assembled (for contiones and comitid)\ here 



THE CAMPUS MARTIUS. 



they voted for candidates for the ofifice of Consul. Of the two chosen, 

the one was usually a man 
of approved character, and 
belonged to the better class 
of the nobility ; while the 
other had in attendance a 
larger number of adherents 
(so-called clients). 

During the time of the 
Republic a rude enclosure, 
much like a sheep-pen, suf- 
ficed to keep in order those 
who came to vote. Caesar 
began to substitute walls 
of marble, and Marcus 
Agrippa completed them 
('^ Saepta Julia "). After 
Caesar's time, Agrippa gave 
this place an entirely differ- 
ent appearance by his mag- 
nificent baths. The public 
buildings, however, were 
soon surrounded by private 
houses, and if Strabo, who 
visited Rome in the reign 
of Tiberius, should accom- 
pany us to the Capitol to- 
day, he would hardly recog- 
nize the Campus Martius which he described so vividly. Of all the 
splendors which he saw, the Panthe'on alone has been completely 
preserved. 

Yet that would well repay a visit to Rome : 

" Simple, erect, severe, austere, sublime- 
Shrine of all saints and temple of all gods, 




MARCUS AGRIPPA. 



THE PANTHEON. 




PANTHEON IN ITS PRESENT CONDITION. 

***** spared and bless'd by time, 

Looking tranquillity, while falls or nods 
Arch, empire, each thing round thee, and man plods 

His way through thorns to ashes — glorious dome ! 
Shalt thou not last ? Time's scythe and tyrants' rods 

Shiver upon thee— sanctuary and home 

Of art and piety — Pantheon ! Pride of Rome ! " 

— Byron, Childe Harold. 

Hawthorne puts these words in the mouths of his characters: 
'' The world has nothing else like the Panthe'on. -^ * ^ The rust 
and dinginess that have dimmed the precious marble on the walls ; 



lO 



THE PANTHEON. 




INTERIOR OF PANTHEON. 



THE PANTHEON. II 

the pavement, with its great squares and rounds of porphyry and 
granite, cracked crosswise and in a hundred directions, showing 
how roughly the troublesome ages have trampled here ; the grey 
dome above, with its opening to the sky, as if Heaven were 
looking down into the interior of this place of worship, left unim- 
peded for prayers to ascend the more freely : all these things make 
an impression of solemnity, which St. Peter's itself fails to pro- 
duce." 

" It is very delightful, on a breezy day, to see the masses of white 
cloud float over the opening, and then the sunshine fall through it 
again, fitfully, as it does now.. Would it be any wonder if we were 
to see angels hovering there, partly in and partly out, with genial, 
heavenly faces, not intercepting the light, but transmuting it into 
beautiful colors ? Look at that broad golden beam — a sloping 
cataract of sunlight — which comes down from the aperture, and 
rests upon the shrine, at the right hand of the entrance." — Marble 
Faun. 

As the soil has acquired such depth, we do not notice that the 
Pantheon was originally above its level and was reached by a flight 
of five steps. The building consists of a portico no feet long by 
44 fe^t deep, which is supported by sixteen noble Corinthian 
columns of granite, 36 feet in height (see initial letter), and a 
rotunda 143 feet in diameter, covered by a dome. An aperture 28 
feet in diameter admits the light from above. 

Narrow and crooked streets traverse this quarter, now densely 
covered with houses, and lead us to the foot of the Campidoglio, 
as the Cap^itoline Hill {Mons Capitolinus) is now called. 

In the earliest times the rock projected abruptly into the Cam- 
pus Martius. But in the time of Sulla permission was given to 
build on the Capitoline, and it was not long before the hill con- 
tained, besides its temples, a number of private houses. This 
explains how, in the year 69 A. D., the soldiers of Vitel'lius could 
press forward protected by the houses and ascend the hill on which 
the Temple of Jupiter had been built. 



12 



EQUESTRIAN STATUE OF MARCUS AURELIUS. 




. hi<iK^lfti> 



EQUESTRIAN STATUE OF MARCUS AURELIUS. 



THE CAPITOLINE HILL. 



13 



During the middle ages, not only the private houses but also 
the temples of the hill, the true monuments of ancient Roman 
power, fell into ruins ; and then, over these ruins in later times, 
new streets were opened to this sacred height. 

By the middle one of these roads, which was constructed by 
Michael Angelo, we can reach the summit most easily, as it has a 
gradual ascent. The younger ones among you will, no doubt, first 
hasten toward the shrubbery on the left, for there a couple of 
wolves are running impatiently hither and thither in a narrow cage. 
I need hardly tell you that it is only in thankful remembrance of 
that good-natured she-wolf, who is said to have suckled the found- 
ers of the city, that these innocent descendants have been con- 
demned to a tedious imprisonment. 

At first view, you will all think the Capitol has entirely changed 
its ancient form. But it has merely assumed a modern garb. 

The present Capitoline Square, which is surrounded on three 
sides by modern buildings, and in whose centre stands the antique 
equestrian statue of Marcus Aure'lius, has existed only since the 
sixteenth century. There is an in- 
teresting popular belief about this 
statue, which was originally gilded. 
It isfancied that it is turning into gold ! 

That there was originally a valley 
here is still plainly seen from the fact 
that steps lead from the square, right 
and left, to the two summits of the 
hill. 

The southwestern of these summits 
the ancients called Capita' liu7n^ and the 
northeastern Arx^ or the citadel. Be- 
tween them, on the spot which, in the 
time of Livy, was still inclosed on 
account of its sanctity, Romulus is said to have opened his place 
of refuge for outlaws {Asylmn). In this hollow, in very early times. 




PLAN OF CAPITOLINE HILL. 



H 



THE STORY OF TARPEIA. 



was worshipped, between two groves, the god Ve'jovis. To the 
sanctuary of this god the homeless, who were to people the young 
city of Romulus, were allowed to flee to make expiation, and then, 
cleansed from all past crimes, to pass through the gate of the Pala- 
tine city {Roma Quadrata). There is no tradition of another 
temple between these hills. Perhaps the awe inspired by the stern 
god Vejovis, who once demanded even human blood for atonement, 
was so great that they did not venture to hem in his jurisdiction 
by other buildings. Besides, it was not easy to build on the slopes, 
while either of these two heights was a far more beautiful and 
prominent site for a temple. 

You remember that Tarquinius Superbus, after the capture of 
Gabii, directed his attention to the arts of peace, and, above all, 
that he built on the Tarpe'ian Rock the Temple of Jupiter, which 
had been vowed by his father. Livy, in the passage in which 
he describes this (I. 53-55), designates the 
whole southwestern part of the Capito- 
line Hill as Rupes Tarpe'iae; but, in a nar- 
rower sense, the rock is a steep precipice 
toward the south, 

" Fittest goal of treason's race, 
The promontory whence the traitor's leap 
Cured all ambition." — Byron. 

** OneTarpe'ius was governor of the citadel, 
whose daughter, Tarpe'ia by name, going forth 
from the walls to fetch water for a sacrifice, 

A^l V X • 

took money from the king that she should 

receive certain of the soldiers within the citadel ; but when 
■they had been so received, the men cast their shields upon her, 
slaying her with the weight of them. This they did either that 
they might be thought to have taken the place by force, or that they 
judged it to be well that no faith should be kept with traitors ! 
Some also tell this tale, that the Sa^blnes wore great bracelets of 
gold on their left arms, and on their left hands fair rings with 




THE TEMPLE OF JUPITER OPTIMUS MAXIMUS. 1 5 

precious stones therein, and that when the maiden covenanted with 
them that she should have for a reward that which they carried in 
their left hands, they cast their shields upon her." — Church. 

This place, where the first traitress of Rome received her re- 
ward from the mocking enemy, and whence afterwards perjurers, 
thieving slaves, and those accused of high treason were hurled 
down, has now lost its terrors. It is no longer separated from the 
rest of the Capitoline Hill by a wall ; the trembling culprit is no 
longer led through the *' poor sinners' " gate. 

To be sure, the hill has undergone many changes in the course 
of time through landslides, so that no one can say definitely " This 
or that abrupt abyss was the grave of the transgressors." But this 
much, at any rate, is certain, that the ill-reputed place lay on this 
side of the hill. 

For once, while, to steal the state treasures which were preserved 
in the Temple of Sat'urn, at the upper end of the Forum, burglars 
were busy with their crow-bars at its firm foundation ; their blows 
re-echoed from the perpendicular wall of the Tarpeian Rock near 
by, and thus betrayed the presence of the incautious robbers. 

Livy, in his account of the founding of the Temple of Jupiter, 
has already informed you where to look for that -largest and most 
sacred temple of Rome. But at present we need no longer rely on 
the written account alone ; the stones have spoken louder and more 
intelligibly than human tongues. 

In the rebuilding operations on the southern side of the Capito- 
line Hill, during the years 1875-78, the foundation walls of the old 
Temple of the Tarquins were brought to light. 

The great age of these ruins is fully attested by the material 
of which they are composed, and the manner in which it was used ; 
and the fact of their belonging to that temple is proved beyond all 
doubt by their position and mass. 

On this spot, then, between his two companions, Juno and 
MinerVa, was enthroned the omnipotent Roman god of empire, who 
made this, his temple-house, the capitol of the world. 



i6 



THE TEMPLE OF JUPITER OPTIMUS MAXIMUS. 




THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE. I7 

Here the young Romans offered sacrifices upon laying aside the 
dress of boyhood (the toga praetextd) ; here the consuls entered on 
the duties of their office ; hither the victorious generals, after having 
been borne in triumph through the city, directed their steps to ex- 
press their gratitude in the. temple of their mighty god. 

" The Tarpeian rock, the citadel 
Of great and glorious Rome, queen of the earth, 
' So far renowned and with the spoils enriched 
Of nations." — Milton. 

And not only mortals sought here safety and deliverance, but even 
celestials, with their sanctuaries, altars and chapels, joined themselves 
.closely to the supreme deity — " Father of gods and king of mefi." 

This temple, which the Etruscans had helped the Romans to 
build, just as the Phoeni'cians before had helped the Jews to build 
their temple, was burned down during the civil wars of Marius and 
Sulla. But through the provision of Sulla and his 
friend Cat'ulus, it was rebuilt on the old site even 
more splendidly than before ; and, the more Greek 
art came into favor in Rome, the more richly was 
the temple adorned with statuary. 

Twice again Jupiter was obliged to behold a 
sudden and violent destruction of his abode. 
Tac^itus tells, in his '' Histories " (IH., 71), and with 
the greatest indignation, how the Capitol was de- 
stroyed in the most shameful manner by the soldiers of Vitellius. 
Sabinus, the brother and general of Vespa'sian, caused the statues, 
although they were the monuments of his ancestors, to be torn 
down, that he might use them to barricade the principal entrance. 
The enemy, however, by side paths, penetrated the inclosure of the 
temple ; the fire seized upon the colonnades ; the wooden gable-ends 
of the temple fed the flames, and the Capitol was burned down 
{^^ claitsis foribus, indefensum et indireptum "). Vespasian rebuilt 'the 
temple, but scarcely was it completed when it a third time sank in 
ashes during the great fire in the reign of Titus. 




l8 THE ROMAN CITADEL. 

Under Domi'tlan it was rebuilt with more splendor than before ; 
but this very splendor was the ruin of the temple, for it invited the 
greedy barbarians. 

The temple of the Roman State hastened inevitably toward its 
destruction, as the bonds of the empire became relaxed; and, when 
the master of the house himself, the mightiest Olympian, was 
dethroned, his temple fell into neglect and ruin. 

As if to commemorate the overthrow of heathenism, there stands 
now on the northern and highest summit of the Capitoline Hill, on 
the Roman Arx, a Christian church, dedicated to the Virgin' Mary. 
It stands on the very spot v/here the Romans, in the fourth century 
B. C, erected a temple to Juno Mone^ta. Why she was called 
Mojteta, even Cicero could no longer explain with certainty. She is 
said, on one occasion, while a pestilence was raging in the city, to 
have caused her voice to be heard from the citadel, and by her good 
advice or admonition to have relieved the distress of the citizens. 

Such stories, however, were only resorted to in order to account 
in an easy way for the name of the goddess, which was already in 
existence. Moneta has the same root as inoneo (advise) and mejis 
(mind), and signifies the reflecting or thinking one. Under this 
name the goddess, no doubt, was worshipped on this hill in very early 
times, just as Jupiter Sta^tor was worshipped on the Palatine — the 
powerful god on the one hill, the wise goddess on the other. 

This hill was chosen for the citadel because it greatly exceeded 
in height the southern summit of the Capitoline. 

Within the fortification there was, of course, no room for sev- 
eral large temples ; and yet for convenience they united with the 
Temple of Juno, which was so securely situated, the arrangements 
for coining — a circumstance which has given the word moneta the 
meaning iitint. The fact that the augur especially consulted (au- 
gurac'ulum) the gods on this hill, from which there is an extensive 
view across the Forum as far as the Caelian Hill, is learned from 
Livy, where he gives an account (I., 1 8) of the accession to the 
throne of the pious Numa. It is possible that this aiiguraculum 



THE FORUM AND A TRIUMPH. I9 

was also a relic of the prehistoric worship of the queen of heaven 
on this citadel. 

Now, if we descend from the Capitoline by the shortest way to 
the Forum Romd'mim, we shall have on our right hand the present 
Palazzo del Senate' re ^ erected on the site of the Roman archives, or 
Tabuld'rium. This Tabulariuin was built after the plans of Sulla 
and Catulus, the latter of whom had restored the Temple of Jupiter. 
It connected both summits of the Capitoline. A covered colon- 
nade afforded an easy communication from the one to the other, 
and a stairway led up to the building, and on through to the 
ancient Asylum, At present, the entrances to the forum are walled 
up, and we will therefore content ourselves to-day with admiring 
from without the " ancient and honorable " blocks of tufa, and the 
arches of the Tabulariiun. But you will be much more charmed 
by the view which we shall have on our way of the forum {Forinn 
Romamtnt). 

This most beautiful and animated square of ancient Rome now 
lies in silent sorrow, and only the ruins of its former grandeur 
remain. Once so infinitely rich, it has now become a beggar, and 
excites our compassion by its threadbare garments. Only the 
proud remembrance of its youth remains. A wonderful thing is 
this Forum Romanum. If we contemplate it from our present ele- 
vation, and, as if riveted to the ground, find that we cannot turn 
our eyes from it, suddenly the solitude beneath us will become 
alive. Mighty temples arise from the depth before our rapt gaze, 
and triumphal arches again span the sacred street. 

Now the people, also, come back to our view. Silently and 
gravely the priests are ascending the steps of the lofty temples ; 
the business-man hastens to the stall of, the money-changer, and is 
soon in animated conversation with the greedy banker. Thought- 
less idlers are sauntering about in the paved square, discussing with 
important air the events of the day. But suddenly everybody 
turns toward the sacred street {Via Sacra). The Commander-in- 
chief of the Army {Ijnperd'tor), returning home in triumph, is 



20 



THE FORUM IN FESTAL ATTIRE 




THE CARCER. 21 

approaching from the eastern hills. The procession is headed by 
the Senate, who, in festal robes, have received the conqueror and his 
army at the gate of the city. Next come the trumpeters. Behind 
these are creaking the wagons laden with booty ; and here and 
there among them are seen, towering up boastfully, the litters with 
the more precious pieces of booty carried on the shoulders of 
sturdy men. 

As the wagons approach the crowd, every man stretches his 
neck to read, from the tablets carried on high, what province has 
been subdued, how much booty has been taken, and to whom the 
costly weapons and coats-of-arms had formerly belonged. The 
noisy crowd becomes more silent on the approach of the priests, 
the bullock adorned with white ribbons in their midst ; but loud 
shouts of joy break forth to greet the conqueror as he proceeds on 
his way to the Capitol, clad in an embroidered toga, and borne 
upon a triumphal chariot, which is adorned with ivory, and drawn by 
four horses. Joy and pride shine in the victor's face, because he is 
permitted to enter his native city with such honor, surrounded by 
his sons, and followed by his victorious soldiers. 

The procession is gone, the crowd has dispersed, and we awake 
from our dream. 

We now hasten down the hill and take a look at the so-called 
Mam'ertine prison (Career). This, as is well known, is the name of 
the Roman state prison. The upper part is said to have been built 
by Ancus Marcius, and Servius Tullius is supposed to have added 
the lower, subterranean part. At present, the whole is covered by 
a small church, at the entrance of which the Apostles Peter and 
Paul are represented in rude frescoes languishing behind the bars of 
the prison. A modern stairway leads us down into the upper story 
of the prison. This is a chamber, inclosed by thick walls, which 
originally was accessible only by means of a rectangular opening in 
the ceiling. ' - 

Of this Dickens says: "There is an upper chamber in the 
Mamertine prisons, over what is said to have been — and very pos- 



22 



THE CARCER. 




PLAN OF FORUM AND PALATINE. 



sibly may have been — the dungeon of St. Peter. The chamber is 
now fitted up as an oratory, dedicated to that saint ; and it lives, as 
a distinct and separate place, in my recollection, too. It is very 
small and low-roofed ; and the dread and gloom of the ponderous, 
obdurate old prison are on it, as if they had come up in a dark mist 
through the floor. Hanging on the walls, among the clustered 
votive offerings, are objects at once strangely in keeping and 
strangely at variance with the place — rusty daggers, knives, pistols, 
clubs, divers instruments of violence and murder, brought here, 



THE TULLIANUM. 23 

fresh from use, and hung up to propitiate offended heaven, as if 
the blood upon them would drain off in consecrated air and have 
no voice to cry with. It is all so silent and so close and tomb-like, 
and the dungeons below are so black and stealthy and stagnant and 
naked that this little dark spot becomes a dream within a dream ; 
and in the vision of great churches which come rolling past me like 
a sea, it is a small wave by itself that melts into no other wave, and 
does not flow on with the rest." 

In this cell were confined the great criminals, such as parricides 
and traitors, for whom the ordinary prisons were not severe 
enough. (Sallust, in the passage in which he speaks of the punish- 
ment inflicted on the associates of Catiline, calls this chamber a 
^^ camera fornicibus vincta.") But far more dreaded was the cellar- 
like dungeon underneath : (" Incultu, tenebris, odore foeda atque terri- 
bilis ejus fades esty) Of this the stones of the walls are so laid as to 
form a dome, each row or layer projecting a little over the one 
below it. The keystone of the dome has been taken out, in order 
to give connection with the upper chamber. As there is, right be- 
neath this opening, a well, it i^ evident that this ancient vault was 
built to guard the well. The vault was called Tiillid'num, a name 
which signifies nothing else than " House of the Well," and denotes 
here the well belonging to the Arx. But since this traditional name 
recalled the third King of Rome, Tullus Hostilius, it was natural 
to ascribe to that opulent ruler the construction of this as well as of 
the so-called Curia Hostil'ia. But, even if this building had been 
originally a prison, it would be difficult to say why it was built 
exactly over a well. Tradition has it that so great was the im- 
pression made by the preaching of Peter and Paul that the two 
jailers and forty-seven prisoners were converted, and, that they 
might immediately be baptized, God caused this well to burst 
forth ! From the time of Ancus Marcius it may have been used 
as a prison, especially since on account of the building placed 
above it it had become a dark and damp hole. Only those con- 
demned to death, however, were thrust into this dungeon. 



24 THE IMPRISONMENT OF JUGURTHA. 

Here Jugur'tha was starved to death. He had been dragged 
along in the triumphal procession of Marius, and the Roman plebs 
had exulted because the crafty Numidian prince had been con- 
quered by Marius, himself of plebe'ian birth. Hardly has Jugurtha 
been led away toward the prison from the triumphal procession at 
the end of the Via Sacra, when the infuriated multitude rush 
upon him. In spite of the guards he is struck, his clothes are torn, 
and his golden earrings, and with them the flaps of his ears, are 
wrenched off. And so, bleeding and almost naked, he has arrived 
at the prison. But these executioners have no compassion ; he 
is thrust down into the horrible dungeon below. Well might 
the cold chills run over him as he exclaimed, '' By Hercules, how 
cold your bath is!" 

" The victor, springing from his seat, 
Went up, and, kneeling as in fervent prayer, 
Entered the Capitol. But what are they 
Who at the foot withdraw, a mournful train 
In fetters ? And who; yet incredulous, 
Now gazing wildly round, now on his sons, 
On those so young, well pleased with all they see. 
Staggers along, the last ? They are the fallen. 
Those who were spared to grace the chariot-wheels ; 
And there they parted, where the road divides. 
The victor and the vanquished — there withdrew ; 
He to the festal board, and they to die." — Rogers's Italy. 

To- this prison, also, Catiline's fellow-conspirators, who had 
remained behind in the city after the departure of their leader, 
were brought, condemned to death in spite of the opposition of 
Csesar. Cicero himself conducted Lentulus, who had lived in lax 
custody on the Palatine Hill, across the forum to the prison; the 
rest were- led by the praetors. They, also, were let down into the 
gloomy dungeon, but a speedy death put an end to their lives — 
the executioners {Vindices rerum capitalium), strangled them. 

But I see you have come to feel quite uncomfortable in this 
Career, and I will, therefore, take you out into the open air again. 



ARCUS SEPTIMI SEVERI. 



25 




[ V r-r asl i 5cV 



THE ARCH OF SEVERUS, WEST SIDE, AS TO DAY. 



To be sure, if it were the ancient street into which we were going, 
a horrible sight might yet meet our eyes. For hard by the Career 
was the so-called '* stairway of groans " {Sealae gemoitianae), on which 
the bodies of executed criminals were exposed, so that the whole 
Roman forum might see them, and the sight inspire great but 
wholesome horror {^^ uiagno cum horrorey) It was here that the 
miserable Vitellius fell in his vain flight. In order to rea.ch the 
forum from this side, we must descend a temporary flight of wooden 
stairs. Turning to the right now, we look through the middle one 
of the three triumphal portals of the arch {Aretts tr tump halts) oi 
Septimius Seve^rus. This somewhat clumsy edifice was erected in 
the year 203 A. D., to commemorate the victories of this emperor 



26 



CARACALLA. 




CARACALLA. 



over the Parthians. The large middle archway communicates with 
each of the smaller ones by still smaller arches inside. It was 
probably built over a street. It stands so high above the original 
level of the forum that the side arches had to be reached by 
seven steps. When still adorned with all its decorations it 
must, it is true, have been much finer. Above the main 
passage there was a long inscription, in metal letters, rehearsing 
the achievements of the imperial family. (In the fourth line we 
now read, '^ OPTIMIS FORTISSIMISQUE PRINCIPIBUS." 
But originally, as we may conclude from the marks left of the 
fastenings of the letters, it must have read, " P. SEPTIMIO GETAE 
NOBILISSIMO CAESARI OPT.") 

But when, after his father's death, Caracalla had glutted his 
hatred of his brother Geta, by making away with him, he caused 
his odious name to be removed from this monument of victory, 
on the pretense that it was too shocking to be continually 



TEMPLUM CONCORDIAE. 2/ 

reminded of his dead brother. Trophies were fastened to the 
right and left of the inscription, and above the arch there stood 
a gilded chariot drawn by six horses {Currus sejugis), seemingly in 
triumphant course, in which was the emperor, crowned by a 
Victoria. Close to the triumphal chariot marched Caracalla and 
Geta, whom their father had permitted to share alike the glory of 
the house. At the corners of the top, at present so bare, were 
placed equestrian statues, so that the whole may well have pro- 
duced an imposing impression. 

We now enter the middle portal of the arch to escape the 
Italian November sun, and have before us the colossal substructure 
of the Temple of Concord {Temphun Concordiae), The earliest 
building was vowed 367 B. C. by Camillus the Dictator, in gratitude 
for the restoration of union of the Patricians and Plebeians. After 
Camillus's death it was constructed by the Senate and people. 
But, by such a nod of Nemesis as caused the first battle of our 
revolution to be fought at Concord, this temple, immediately after 
the slaughter of Caius Gracchus and 3,000 of his followers, was 
dedicated by their butcher, Opimius, to Concord ! ! Falling 
into decay,, it was renovated and enlarged by Tiberius, in com- 
pliance with Augustus's wish. Even in the times of the Republic 
it was a spacious temple, as the Senate oftentimes assembled here. 
The splendor of the pillars, indeed, has passed away, but still we 
distinctly make out stairs ascending in terraces and leading to an 
ante-structure, behind which the broad temple projected on both 
sides. 

In it the Senate had convened in crowded assembly on that 
memorable 3d of December, when Cicero held in his hand the 
evidence against the Catilinarian conspirators, obtained through 
the ambassadors of the Allob'roges. The conference lasted until 
evening. Impatiently the populace streamed up and down before 
the stairs of the temple, when at last the Consul, emerging from 
the mysterious interior {cello) of the temple, informed the appre- 
hensive citizens {Qitirl'tes) that he had removed the impending 



28 



Cicero's third oration against catiline. 










MARCUS TULLIUS CICERO. 



danger. " But not I myself have accomplished this — that were 
saying too much — nay, Jove on high hath withstood. He it is that 
desired to see saved his capitol, these temples here — ay, the entire 
city, and all of you." 

Imagine for a moment that, with the Roman citizens, you had 
been fearing for your lives and property ; that you had already seen 
in your minds the houses of the city in flames : would not that 
man whose majestic form shone down from above into the dusk of 
evening like that of a god^ who so calmly, and yet inspired with the 



WEST END FORUM IN TIME OF DOMITIAN, 



29 




2 ,R 

o . 

« S 

« 3 

g -^ 



D (3 

« "S 

O <« 

b ex, 

Q 41 

Z > 



1^ 



30 



THE UMBILICUS. 



joy of victory, was speaking to you — would not he necessarily 
appear to you a savior, a father of his fatherland .{Pater patrice)} 
Probably you would not have suffered yourselves to be sent home 
with soothing words ; you, too, as brave quirites, would have 
lighted torches and formed an escort of honor for the deliverer of 
the city. 

Just at the side of the left-hand portal there has been brought 
to light a cone-shaped brick structure, which evidently served as 




WEST FORUM, TIME OF SEVERUS. 



a basis for something. Probably the Umbili'cus, an imitation of the 
Delphic Omphalos (^Opupolo:;'), stood m this place, {Tho.' OiKpalo^ 
was a white stone in the form of a truncated cone, standing near 
Apollo's altar, and considered by the Greeks as the centre of the 
world.) The Roman Emperor, in order that the Romans might 
become cognizant of their high position in the world, located the 
centre of his empire at the Uinbili'cus, by which the people daily 
passed. 



THE GOLDEN MILESTONE. THE GRAECOSTASIS. 3I 

Below the Temple of Saturn stood the golden milestone {Milli- 
d'rium Atireum), erected by Augustus in 25 B. c. Not of stone, but 
of gilt bronze, it gleamed forth from its elevated standpoint over 
the entire forum. The names and distances of the different gates 
of the city were marked . upon it, while the centre itself of the 
empire was represented by the umbilicus. 

Upon the platform (the Graecostasis)^ erected between these two 
foreign ambassadors, during the empire, used to listen to the 
orations addressed to the people from the speakers' platform lying 
directly in front. 

The Graeco' stasis was built of immense blocks of tufa with 
portions of harder stone — an evidence of early construction. It was 
also embellished with marble. You must not confound the most 
ancient Rostra with the Rostra here. The former stood on the 
Comitium^ to the north of the forum. 

" The forum, where the immortal accents glow, 
And still the eloquent air breathes — burns with Cicero." — Byron. 

But that place had long since become too small for the public 
meetings, and Augustus therefore removed the Rostra to the west- 
ern end of the forum, where the orators had a vast expanse before 
them. 

The Via Sacra terminates at the Millid'riuni Aureum, to be 
continued by the only highway leading to the Capitoline Hill — i. <?., 
the Clivus Capitoll'nus. This highway was among the first in Rome 
to be paved, 174 B. c. 

If we follow this ancient road, we have, to the left, one of the 
most stupendous ruins, situated at the upper end of the forum. I 
mean the substructure cf Saturn's Temple, with its eight Ionic 
columns still standing. These, as well as the entire decorations, 
date back to a restoration that was undertaken in the third century 
of the Christian era. The lower part of the temple, as is well 
known, was used for the treasury. Its lofty and firm walls are 
•doubtless of great antiquity. Tradition ascribes this edifice, and 



32 



THE TEMPLE OF SATURN. 




TEMPLE OF SATURN, 



TEMPLE OF VESPASIAN. 



the introduction of the festivities in honor of the god Saturn 
{Saturnd! lid) to Tullus Hostilius. Others say that Tarquinius 
Superbus erected it. It was probably begun under the kings, 
completed during the republic, and consecrated by the first Dictator 
of Rome, Titus Lartius, in 501 B. C. 

Opposite the high stairway, which led to the Temple of Saturn, 
a small temple was built by Domitian, in honor of Vespasian. As 
there was also placed in it an image of Titus, the people were 



THE TEMPLE OF VESPASIAN. 



33 




RUINS. 

Area of Dii Consentes. Temple of Vespasian. 



34 THE TEMPLE OF VESPASIAN. OFFICES. 

wont to call it after the two Flavii (Vespasian and Titus). Of the 
inscription there remain only the letters ESTITVER, which must 
be read as a part of RESTITVERVNT {" they restored "). These 
relate to the restoration of the sanctuary by Septimius Severus and 
Caracalla. 

The front of the temple, which once was adorned by six col- 
umns of Carrara marble, faces the forum. Its sides, which were 
supported each by eleven pillars, run parallel with the Concordia 
Temple. The back rests on the Tabularium. Three columns are 
still standing at the right hand front corner. They support part of 
the molding adorned with the heads of oxen and with sacrificial 
implements. When, in the beginning of this century, aii attempt 
was* made to excavate them to their full length, the foundation 
proved to be too frail for the pillars. After it had been strength- 
ened, they were again put up, and with great pains and trouble the 
molding was restored from the fragments found. i/ 

Passing by this small teiriple, several stairs conduct us down 
from the Cliviis to a row of chambers. Both these and those lying 
above served as offices for the scribes and town-criers of -the yEdiles. 
Before these chambers a narrow portico extends, surrounding a 
small space at the southern side, which was consecrated to the 
twelve chief Olympic gods {Dii Consentes). Even though the 
structure, of which these ruins remain, is of the latest times, it may 
yet' be concluded, from a passage of the second Philippic, that al- 
ready in the days of Cicero the Curulian yEdiles had their rooms 
here. 

Antonius had charged the consul with having the whole of the 
Clivus Capitolinus occupied by armed slaves in the year 6^ B. C, while 
that decisive session in the Concordia Temple was going on. This 
charge is thus refuted by Cicero, in just indignation : "■ O wretched 
fellow, whether these proceedings are unknown to you — you know, 
indeed, nothing that is good — or if they are known, since you speak 
so impudently in the presence -of such men ! Quis eniin eques 
RomanuSj quis praeter te adulesceiis 7tobilis, quis ullius ordinis, qui se 



I 



THE COLUMN OF PHOCAS. 



35 



>VvX. ^ 



civein esse meminisset^ cum senatus in hoc templo esset in Clivo Capito- 
lino non ftiit ? Who in those days would have been loath to have his 
name enrolled as one ready to guard with arms the fatherland's weal ? 
Ay, there were not scribes 
enough; the tablets suf- ' .; 
ficed not for recording the 
names of those that pre- 
sented themselves." 

Since at the above- 
mentioned area of the 
twelve chief deities or 
advising gods {Dii Consen- 
tes) the new street is built 
over the old, we must here 
turn ; on our way back 
we look for awhile at the 
workmen, who, just under 
the road which leads 
obliquely across the 
forum, are bringing to 
light - remains of walls 
dating from the Middle 
Ages, and then digging 
down to the forum itself. 
In order to fairly judge 
of the dimensions of the forum, we must imagine the pillar 
removed, which in the seventh century w^as erected in honor of the 
Byzantine Emperor Phocas, for with its extensive foundation it fills 
up a good part of the western end. 

The forum, laid with limestone flags, has the form of a trapezium, 
the shortest side of which forms the east border. On the north 
side, the rubbish-heap reaches even yet to a height of several 
metres. And it is only recently that they have begun to lay bare 
here the ancient soil. There still repose, in the deep sleep of the cen- 




MARCUS ANTONIUS. 



36 



EXCAVATIONS IN PROGRESS. 




COLUMN OF PHOCAS. 



TEMPLE OF SATURN. 



T. VESPASIAN. 



turies, the most important public buildings of the Romans; there^ 
as has already been said, lay the voting-place of the Roman people, 
the Comitium, together with the City Hall ; there stood the 
speakers' platform of the republic ; there was built the first court 
of justice, which was shortly followed by a second and grander one. 
Perhaps it will be possible, at no distant day, to follow out more 
distinctly the remains of these foundations. The houses which are 
still standing over them have been purchased by the Italian Gov- 
ernment, and look as sombre and neglected as if they had a -pre- 
monition of their speedy destruction 

From the forum the square blocks of stone, which project from 
the embankment of the modern street, can be examined to better 
advantage. They served as foundations to the speakers' platform 
of the imperial period. This must have been very spacious. The 



THE IMPERIAL ROSTRA. 



37 



Rostra consisted of a nearly rectangular platform, 75 feet by 
44, built of tufa. The surface was divided by pillars into squares, 
and bore the speakers' platform. The front of the speakers' plat- 
form was faced 
with green mar- 
ble, and here the 
ship-beaks {ros- 
tra), were fas- 
tened in two rows, 
nineteen in one, 
tv/enty in the 
other. ^\\^Rostra 
was adorned with 
statues of the am- 
bassadors who 
had died when 
away from Rome, 
and in front were 
the tables of the 
laws. Augustus 
not only caused 
the insignia of 
the republican 
platform, the 
ships' beaks of 
Antium, to be 
attached to the 
new one, but he 
also brought here 
all the marble statues and decorations which the people had erected 
there to men of renown. Many a piece, weak with age, had then to 
be replaced, as also the inscription on the column in honor of Gaiiis 
Duillius, the fragments of which have been dug up here. 

Only one antique art-work is preserved intact in the forum. 




TRAJAN. 



38 



THE SO-CALLED MARBLE BARRIERS. 



That is the so-called Barriers of marble. The two pieces, each five 
metres long, stand opposite each other, as if they formed the railing 
of a narrow bridge. On the inside of each three stately sacrificial 
beasts — boar, sheep and bullock — are making their last journey. 
On the outer sides the Emperor Tra^jan is represented, as he pro- 
claims in the forum his gift for the education of poor children, and 
as he orders the lists of unpaid taxes to be burned. 

Whether these remarkable stones were originally erected here, 
and what end they served, are questions that cannot be answered 




Basilica Julia. 



TRAJAN BURNING THE TAX LISTS. 

Temple of Saturn. Temple of Vespas. Rostra. T.Concord. 



with certainty. It is certain that from the background of the scenes 
depicted on them we have received great help in restoring the forum. 
We can apply the term barriers with greater certainty to the eight 
bulky, square structures along the south side, for to them were 
fastened the rope and the rows of boards by which the place was 
enclosed during the assemblies. 

In old times this city square had a very different appearance, 



THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF THE EARLY PERIOD. 



39 




VIRGINIA AT PLAY. 



being surrounded on all sides by shabby booths. The butchers had 
their shops {" taber'ncE ") here, which certainly did not make the 
ground cleaner, nor the air purer. Next door clinked the coins of 
the money-changers ; and in this noisy neighborhood were also 
schoolrooms, or, as the Romans called them, '-^ ludi pitcroruiny 
How often the children must have stopped at those shops ; and 
among the butchers, certainly they must have had their special 
friends ! It would be interesting to k:now if the Roman boys then 
could beg so winsomely for a Roman '' penny " (" as "), as now for an 
Italian soldo. 

Once the children, on their way to school, were greatly terrified. 
A servant of the dreaded decemVir, Appius Claudius, seized and 
led away from them their playmate Virginia, and brought her 



40 



ARREST OF VIRGINIA. 



before the neighboring tribunal of his patron, asserting that 
Virginia, as the daughter of one of his slaves, belonged to him. 

" The city gates were opened : the forum, all alive 
With buyers and with sellers, was humming like a hive. 
Blithely on brass and timber the craftsman's stroke was ringing, 
And blithely o'er her panniers the market-girl was singing. 
And blithely young Virginia came smiling from her home : 
Ah ! wo for young Virginia, the sweetest maid in Rome ! 




WAX TABLETS. 



With her small tablets in her hand, and her satchel on her arm, 

Forth she went bounding to the school, nor dreamed of shame or harm. 

She crossed the forum shining with stalls in alleys gay. 

And just had reached this very spot whereon I stand this day. 

When up the varlet Marcus came ; not such as when erevvhile 

He^ crouched behind his patron's heels with the true client's smile : 

He came with lowering forehead, swollen features, and clinched fist 

And strode across Virginia's path, and caught her by the wrist. 

Hard strove the frighted maiden, and screamed with look aghast ; 

And at her scream from right and left the folk came running fast ; 

The money-changer Crispus, with his thin silver hairs, 

And Hanno from the stately booth glittering with Punic wares, 



TRIAL OF VIRGINIA. 4I 

And the strong smith Muraena, grasping a half-forged brand, 

And Volero the flesher, his cleaver in his hand. 

All came in wrath and wonder; for all knew that fair child ; 

And, as she passed them twice a day, all kissed their hands and smiled. 

And the strong smith Mursena gave Marcus such a blow, 

The caitiff reeled three paces back, and let the maiden go. 

Yet glared he fiercely round him, and growled in harsh, fell tone, 

' She^s mine, and I will have her, I seek but for mine own : 

She is my slave, born in my house, and stolen away and sold 

The year of the sore "sickness, ere she was twelve hours old. 

'T was in the sad September, the month of wail and fright. 

Two augurs were borne forth that morn ; the consul died ere night. 

I wait on Appius Claudius ; I waited on his sire ; 

Let him who works the client wrong, beware the patron's ire.' -, 

So spake the varlet Marcus ; and dread and silence came 

On all the people at the sound of the great Claudian name." 

— Macaulay. 

But a still more fearful experience awaited them on the morrow. 
As early as daybreak the whole body of the citizens stood in the 
forum in anxious curiosity, for on that day the fate of the maiden 
was to be decided. Virginius, also, who had been brought in hot 
haste from the neighboring camp, came long before the beginning 
of the trial, and sought by his grief to arouse the sympathy of the 
by-standers. He stepped up to different individuals, pressed their 
hands, and spoke to them in a loud voice, so that all might hear, 
of the danger which threatened them too, if they would not protect 
him. Of the trial itself, not every word reached the ears of the 
listening boys, but they soon saw that something altogether out 
of the common run must follow the violent altercation between the 
judge and the defendant. 

Suddenly they heard Appius cry with a voice of thunder: 
^'Lic'tor, disperse the crowd and allow the master to seize his 
slave." {^^ Lictor, summove turbain et da viam domino ad prendcnduni 
manicipiuiny) Great and small scattered when it was seen that the 
servants of the state were in earnest, to fulfil the command of 
their master. Virginius alone preserved his composure. With 



42 THE FAREWELL OF HER FATHER. 

seeming calmness, he begged of the decemvirs permission to speak 
a word or two of farewell to his daughter. 

Then, leading Virginia a little way apart from the crowd to 
the butchers' shops, which lay near by the Comitmm, he snatched 
up a knife and plunged it into his daughter's heart with the words : 
"" Thus only, my child, can I save thee for freedom." But turning 
to the tribunal, he cried : ^'Thee, Appius, and thy life by this blood 
I curse !" (" 7>, Appi, tuumque caput sanguine hoc consecro /") Then 
he rushed forth, breaking his way through the midst of the lictors^ 
to arouse his comrades in the camp to take vengeance upon the 
tyrants who had driven him to so terrible a deed, 

" Straightway Virginius led the maid a little space aside, 

To where the reeking shamble stood, piled up with horn and hide. 

Close to yon low dark archway, where, in crimson flood. 

Leaps down to the great sewer the gurgling stream of blood. 

Hard by, a flesher on a block had laid his whittle down ; 

Virginius caught the v/hittle up, and hid it in his gown. 

And then his eyes grew very dim, and his throat began to swell. 

And in a hoarse, changed voice, he spake, ' Farewell, sweet child, farewell I 

Oh ! how I loved my darling ! Though stern I sometimes be, 

To thee, thou knowest, I was not so. Who could be so to thee } 

And how my darling loved me ! How glad she was to hear 

My footsteps on the threshold, when I came back last year ! 

And how she danced with pleasure to see my civic crown. 

And took my sword, and hung it up, and brought me forth my gown ! 

Now, all these things are over — yes, all thy pretty ways, 

Thy needle-work, thy prattle, thy snatches of old lays ; 

And none will grieve when I go forth, or smile when I return, 

Or watch beside the old man's bed, or weep upon his urn. 

The house that was the happiest within the Roman walls. 

The house that envied not the wealth of Capua's marble halls. 

Now, for the brightness of thy smile, must have eternal gloom, 

And for the music of thy voice, the silence of the tomb. 

— Macaulay, 

The place in which such exciting scenes could be enacted was 
certainly not a favorable place for schools, and the Romans did well 
to put them at a distance. The stalls of the fishermen also had to 



THE FORUM. 



43 




44 THE BASILICA JULIA. TEMPLE OF CASTOR. 

disappear, as more attention was given to the beautifying of the 
square ; only the bankers might remain. 

Instead of the low shops the elegant pillared halls of the Basil'- 
icas, built after the Greek model, now adorned the forum. Caesar 
laid the foundation for the most beautiful at the south side ; Augus- 
tus built it up and called it after his uncle. Basilica Julia. It was 
separated from the gathering place of the people by the Via Sacra, 
from which a few steps led up to the portico : if you entered at the 
upper end, you needed to mount only three steps ; but at the lower 
end, seven. This riddle would be difficult to solve if you did riot 
know that the surface of the forum sinks somewhat toward the 
east, while the top of the foundation of the Basilica is level. The 
roomy interior was used for the transactions of the courts, was 
capable of accommodating four law courts consisting of i So jurymen 
(yjudices), and the crowds of spectators, and could be shut off from 
the surrounding porches. 

In these, and upon the steps, the children and wandering mu- 
sicians moved about, as in the Rome of to-day they lounge upon the 
church steps. That these not only chatted and slept there, but also 
played eagerly, is evident from the many gaming boards which are 
scratched on the marble slabs and pavement. 

If we step down to the Via Sacra, at the east of the Basilica, we 
are but a few paces from the ascent to the temple of Castor and 
Pollux. The foundation is well preserved, and also a part of the 
mosaic floor of the cella, but only three columns are standing on the 
side, which are now bound together with iron bars. Certainly they 
are old enough to be supported, for they date from the time of 
Tiberius, who rebuilt this temple after a fire. 

It was founded by the young republic in honor of the two 
knightly youths who, in the fight at Lake Regillus, had helped in a 
wonderful manner to gain a great victory. 

" So like they were, no mortal might one from other know : 
White as snow their armor was : their steeds were white as snow. 
Never on earthly anvil did such rare armor gleam ; 



RUINS OF TEMPLE OF CASTOR AND POLLUX. 



45 




Temple of Castor and Pollux. 



Temple Saturn. 



46 



BATTLE OF LAKE REGILLUS. 



And never did such gallant steeds drink of an earthly stream. 
And all who saw them trembled, and pale grew every cheek ; 
And Aulus, the Dictator, scarce gathered voice to speak. 

* Say, by what name men call you ? What city is your home ? 
And wherefore ride ye in such guise before the ranks of Rome ? ' 
' By many names men call us ; in many lands we dwell : 
Well Samothracia knows us : Cyre'ne knows us well. 
Our house in gay Tarentum is hung each morn with flowers : 
High o'er the masts of Syracuse our marble portal towers : 
But by the proud Euro'tas is our dear native home ; 
And for the right we come to fight before the ranks of Rome.' 
So answered these strange horsemen, and each couched low his spear ; 
And forthwith all the ranks of Rome were bold and of good cheer : 
And on the thirty armies came wonder and affright, 
And Ardea wavered on the left, and Cora on the right. 
' Rome to the charge ! ' cried Aulus ; ' The foe begins to yield. 
Charge for the hearth of Vesta ! Charge for the golden shield ! 
Let no man stop to plunder, but slay, and slay, and slay : 
The gods who live forever are on our side to-day.' " 

The temple was built on this spot be- 
cause Castor and Pollux had suddenly ap- 
peared here after that battle, had announced 
the victory, 
and watered if ' /^Yi^i '«\ W^ U\:l'^^fi^^''<\ 

their sweating and thirsty horses in 

a little pool (the Lacus Juturnae). 

(Oiir illustrations are from coins, a 

Quind'rius and a Dend'rius.) ^^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^ ^^ ^„^ ^^^^^^ 

" Since the first gleam of daylight, Sempronius had not ceased 
To listen for the rushing of horse-hoofs from the east. 
The mist of eve was rising, the sun was hastening down. 
When he was aware of a princely pair fast pricking towards the town. 
So like they were, man never saw twins so like before ; 
Red with gore their armor was, their steeds were red with gore. 

* Hail to the great asylum ! hail to the hill-tops seven ! 
Hail to the fire that burns for aye, and the shield that fell from heaven ! 
This day, by Lake Regillus, under the Porcian height, 




CASTOR AND POLLUX. 




THE GODS AS MESSENGERS OF VICTORY. 

All in the lands of Tusculum, was fought a glorious fight. 
To-morrow your Dictator shall bring in triumph home 
The spoils of thirty cities to deck the shrines of Rome ! ' 
Then burst from the great concourse a shout that shook the towers, 
And some ran north and some ran south, crying ' The day is ours ! ' 
But on rode those strange -horsemen, with slow and lordly pace ; 
And none who saw their bearing durst ask their name or race. 
On rode they to the forum, while laurel-boughs and flowers, 
From house-tops and from windows, fell on their crest in showers. 
When they drew nigh to Vesta, they vaulted down amain, 
And washed their horses in the well that springs by Vesta's fane. 
And straight again they mounted, and rode to Vesta's door ; 
Then, like a blast, away they passed, and no man saw them more." 



47 



Macautuy. 




Arch of Augustus. 



Temple of Vesta. 
Temple Divus Julius, 



SOUTH-EAST FORUM. 



Temple of Castor. 



Basilica. 



The Temple of Castor and Pollux was so spacious that often the 
sessions of the Senate were held there, and the statesmen Hked to 
address the people from the steps of the sanctuary. JuHus Caesar 
especially liked to talk here, and in remembrance of that, Augustus 
had a rostrum placed near the temple, which he built directly 



48 



TEMPLUM DIVI JULII. ARCH OF AUGUSTUS. 



opposite it in honor of " Divus Julius^ The front of this rostrum 
was adorned with beaks of ships captured at Actium. Just beyond 
was the Arch of Aup;ustus. 

Face to face stood the ancient RepubHc and the young Empire, 
for on the further side of the square, below the Capitol, was the 

Rostra^ with trophies of 
the victories of the Re- 
public ; on this side 
shone the evidences of 
the glory of the Julian 
family, who through 
their buildings always 
strove to draw the atten- 
tion of the people more 
and more away from the 
ancient Republic. 

On account of the 
erection of Caesar's 
Temple, a. rearrange- 
ment of this portion of 
the forum became nec- 
essary, which must have 
affected the direction 
of the street. At least 
it is certain that the Via Sacra went beyond to the circular temple 
of Vesta, but the ruin of that building is generally pointed out 
at the east of the Temple of Castor and Pollux. 

^' Close to where the southern angle of the Temple of Castor 
stands back from the forum, stood the altar of Aius Locu'tius, in 
the open at the edge of the Nova Via ('' new street "), really one of 
the oldest streets in Rome, and reminding us of the period when 
the Via Sacra, to which it found access behind the Atrium Vestae 
("House of Vesta"), and the forum itself were newly in the 
boundary of the city. On the line of this Nova Via stands the 







CAIUS JULIUS C^SAR. 



THE ATRIUM VESTAE. 



49 



lately discovered ' House of the Vestals,' between which and the 
Grove of Vesta on the slope of the Palatine it runs obliquely toward 
the southwest." ** People abroad can not conceive the faintest 
idea of the impression which every one here felt in stepping over 




TEMPLE OF DIVUS JULIUS. 



TEMPLE OF CASTOR. 



ARCH OF AUGUSTUS. 



BASILICA. 



the threshold of the Atrium Vestae, in entering those cloisters, 
the marble population of which is increasing in number and in 
importance every day. The noble, dignified portrait-statues of 
the virgines vestales maximae (chief vestal virgins) are there stand- 
ing in long 2.xx2,Y, ready to welcome the visitors, and glad to have 
recovered possession of the house which, for eleven centuries, has 
been the witness of their joys and sorrows, the depository of their 
secrets, and from which they were brutally expelled in A. D. 394." 

Now Horace meets us, as in his customary walk he comes down 
the Via Sacra. But to-day the poet, usually so cheerful, is in bad 
humor ; for a disagreeable, persistent man, entirely unknown to 
him, has intruded himself upon him, wishes to become his friend, 
and asks in a very inquisitive way after Maece'nas. Horace has, in- 
deed, already told him that he should not need his company, as he 
wishes to visit one of his acquaintances on the farther side of the 
Tiber. But the fib was of no avail, for the new friend will go so far 
as to let a summons to court be disregarded, if he may only accom- 



so 



HORACE'S ADVENTURE. 




QUINTUb HORATIUb FLACCUS. 



pany the poet. Horace is in the greatest perplexity, and is besides 
very angry because the roguish Fuscus, whom he had secretly greeted 
as his deliverer, makes merry over him, and will not understand 
grimaces and winks, but hastens away with a very poor excuse. 
The new friends have just reached the Temple of Vesta, and 



HORACE'S NINTH SATIRE. 5 1 

Horace knows that he must endure the persistent man an hour 
longer, in case that bore succeeds in getting by the court-house 
(Basilica) unnoticed into the Tuscan quarter {Vicus Tuscus). For- 
tunately, just there the enemy of this deserter meets them, and 
drags him before the nearest tribunal. But Horace continues his 
walk, and laughs now himself over his misfortune. His gay spirits 
have returned, and let him find amends for the lost time by work- 
ing out some charming verses, with which he will, at the earliest 
opportunity, relate his experience to a gay circle of friends. 

Walking by chance in the Sacred Street, I, true to my habit, ' 
Turned in my mind some trifles or other — absorbed in them wholly. 
Hurrying toward me there came a man whom I knew by name only. "^ 

Seizing my hand, he exclaimed : " How are you, my dearest of fellows }" 
" Well, sir, at present," I answered, " and all that you wish I crave also." 
Now as he joins me I try to forestall him. " What did you wish, then }" 
^' Wish } That you knew me indeed," replied he, " for I am accomplished." 
" So much the greater your value," said I, and, longing to leave him, 
Quickened my steps ; made pause now and then to whisper some trifle 
Into the ear of my boy, while I felt a cold perspiration 
E'en on my feet. " O happy Bola'nus in being quick-tempered !" 
Envying, thought I, the while the tiresome creature kept prattling, 
Praising the streets and the city and saying whatever he thought of. 
Seeing I gave him no answer, he said : " You are wretchedly pining, 
I know, to desert me, but I shall hold on to the last. You can 't do it. 
I will accompany you as far as your errand may lead you." 
— " Do not go out of your way. I call on a friend whom you know not, 
111 far over the Tiber, near the gardens of Csesar." 
— " I have nothing to do and not being lazy I '11 follow." 
Droop, then, my suffering ears, like those of an obstinate donkey — 
Burden too great for his back being finally fastened upon it. 
Then says the fellow : " If really you knew me, you would not like Viscus 
Or Varius better than me ; for who can WTite verses more swiftly ? 
Who can more gracefully dance } and my voice let Hermogenes envy. 
Here was a chance of inquiring : " Have you a mother, — relations 
Cherishing fondly your welfare T' — " No, not a relative have I • , " 

All have been laid away." " Happy ones !" thought I, " but / am remaining. 
Finish me ! Now comes the fate foretold by the old Sabine woman. 
I was a boy when, the sacred urn being shaken, she chanted : 



52 HORACE'S NARROW ESCAPE. 

' Neither shall poison carry him off, nor enemy's weapon, 

Nor pleurisy, no, nor a cough, nor gout, howe'er it may cripple. 

Some time or other a bore will consume him. So let him shun talkers 

If he be prudent, when once he attains the stature of manhood.' " 

Now we had reached the Temple of Vesta at nine in the morning. 

He, as it chanced, was then due to appear in court as defendant. 

Failing in this, he would thereby forfeit his bail or his lawsuit. 

, — "Were you my friend," he said, "you here would aid me a little." 

: — " O ! may I die if I can, or know aught of this jurisprudence ! 

Then I am hastening whither I told you." — " I hesitate," said he, 

"Whether to give upjyou or my lawsuit." " Me, sir, by all means ! " . 

" I will not," he said, beginning to walk on. And I meekly follow. 

Hard it is, truly, for any to struggle on with a victor. 

"How do you stand," he resumed, "with Msecenas, that man of sound judgment. 

Highly select in his friendships ? — none has used riches more wisely. 

Helper indeed you might have, who would be an obedient second. 

Would you now only employ my services. Why ; may I die, if. 

Then you could not remove all rivals far from your pathway ! " 

— " Modes there of living are not what you think them. No house is purer. 

Freer from all such abuses. To me it is no inconvenience 

That others are richer or wiser than I. To each his allotment." 

— " Wonders scarce credible these are." — " So it is notwithstanding." 

— " Greater than ever my wish is that I, too, may share his acquaintance." . 

— " Wishing in your case is all. With merit like yours you may gain it. 

He is a man to be wheedled ; therefore he guards his approaches." 

— " Not an occasion shall pass me. I '11 gain the servants by presents. 

Were I to-day shut out, I should not give up, but would watch and 

Meet him at last in the streets. Be sure I shall finally have him, 

Nothing is gained in life without mighty effort by mortals." — 

While he is talking in this way, Fuscus Aristius meets me. 

Friend well beloved of mine, who knows perfectly this fellow's habits. 

Stopping we ask and we answer : " Whence do you come ? " — " Whither go you ?'" 

Clutching, I pinch his insensible arms, while nodding and winking 

That he may release me from torture. He, laughing with mischievous humor 

Seems not to notice my hints. My wrath, in the meantime, is boiling. 

— " Surely you said that you wished to tell me something in private." 

— " Yes, I distinctly remember. I '11 say it on better occasion. 

This is the thirtieth Sabbath. You wish to scoff at the Jews, then ? " 

— " No superstitions have I." — " But I have. I 'm somewhat weaker. 

One of the common-place crowd. Excuse me ; I '11 talk with you later." 



NEXT POINT OF INTEREST, THE PALATINE. 



53 







M^CENAS AND RUINS OF HIS VILLA. 



— Ah ! that this day of darkness e'er should have risen upon me ! 

Here the rogue vanishing, leaves me powerless under the plowshare. 

Now the other's opponent meets him with loud exclamation : 

" Where are you going, you scoundrel ? — Will you, sir, witness the summons ? " 

Gladly I give him my ear. He drags my foe to the court-house, 

Noise and confusion abounding. — And so Apollo preserved me. 

— Katharine H. Austin. 

We were so curious as to follow the poet, and have, in conse- 
quence, come back to the Temple of Castor. But now he has sud- 
denly vanished from sight into the crowded Tuscan Street (f^"^2/i" 
Tiiscus). We will not seek him, for we know that he likes to be alone. 

But I will lead you from the forum to the Palatine Hill i^Mons 



54 AFTER NOTING THE ARCH OF TITUS. 

Palati7tus) near by, to the hill upon which the poor hut of Faus'tulus 
must have stood, which later bore the stately palace of the Caesars. 

" The Palatine, proud Rome's imperial seat, 
(An awful pile) stands venerably great : 
Thither the kingdoms and the nations come 
In suppHcating crowds to learn their doom ; 
To Delphi less th' inquiring worlds repair, 
Nor does a greater God inhabit there : 
This sure the pompous mansion was design'd 
To please the mighty rulers of mankind ; 
Inferior temples rise on either hand, 
And on the borders of the palace stand, 
While o'er the rest her head she proudly rears, 
And lodged amidst her guardian gods appears." 

— Claudian {Addison s Translation), 
» 
So we go up by the Temple of Castor and Pollux to the modern 

highroad and to the present entrance-gate of the hill. That arch at 
the summit of the Sacred Street, which your eyes have frequently 
sought, is the Arch of Titus, "which, even in its restored condition, is 
the most beautiful monument of the kind remaining in Rome. Its 
Christian interest is unrivalled, from its having been erected by the 
Senate to commemorate the taking of Jerusalem, and from its 
bas-reliefs of the seven-branched candlestick and other treasures 
of the Jewish temple. Hawthorne says: "Standing beneath the 
Arch of Titus, and amid so much ancient dust, it is difficult 
to forbear the commonplaces of enthusiasm, on which hundreds 
of tourists have already insisted. Over the half-worn pavement, and 
beneath this arch, the Roman armies had trodden in their outward 
march, to fight battles, a world's width away. Returning victorious, 
with royal captives and inestimable spoil, a Roman triumph, that 
most gorgeous pageant of earthly pride, has streamed and flaunted 
in hundred-fold succession over these same flagstones, and through 
this yet stalwart archway. It is politic, however, to make few allu- 
sions to such a past ; nor is it wise to suggest how Cicero's feet may 
have stepped on yonder stone, or how Horace was wont to stroll 



ARCH OF TITUS, COLISEUM. 



55 




56 



CALIGULA. 



near by, making his footsteps chime with the measure of the ode 
that was ringing in his mind. The very ghosts of that massive and 
stately epoch have so much density that the people of to-day seem 

the thinner of the two, and 
stand more ghost-like by the 
arches and columns, letting 
the rich sculpture be dis- 
cerned through their ill-com- 
pacted substance." But, 
pursuing our way up the 
Palatine, at the right of our 
path now rise up, in three 
stories, high arches, and daily 
new walls come to light here. 
These ruins belong to the 
immense palace which Cal- 
ig^ula built at the northwest 
side of the Palatine. The 
front of this palace faced the 
forum. For Sueto^nius says, 
in the biography of this 
emperor, that he had ex- 
tended this side of the Pala- 
tine, by the help of mighty 
buttresses, to the forum, and 
had made the Temple of Cas- 
tor and Pollux a vestibule 
of the royal palace. Often 
the emperor placed himself 
between the celestial brothers, and allowed himself to be worshipped 
by the passers-by. We go through the principal modern entrance, 
which formerly led to the gardens of the Farnese family, and soon 
come, after turning to the right at the end of the high staircase, to 
the Hill of Victory. 




CALIGULA. 



PORTION OF PALATINE. 



57 




PLAN OF A PART OF THE PALATINE HILL 



58 CALIGULA AND HIS BRIDGE. 

The top of the Palatine was united with the lowest part of the 
forum and the surrounding valley, the so-called Vela^brum, by this 
passage. This Caligula overarched with his extended buildings; 
and so it happens that we now, at the right and left, look into 
rooms large and small which have served for the apartments of the 
royal servants and guards. In some the stone beds are still pre- 
served which are found elsewhere in the Roman guard houses. In 
others all the furniture is wanting ; in only a few have the decora- 
tions of ceiling and walls been partially preserved. 

If we venture as near the side of the hill as possible, -we have 
just below us the Temple of Castor and Pollux, and over to the 
west the hill on which stands the Capitoline Temple of Jupiter. 
From this northwestern point of the Palatine, Caligula bridged 
over the valley which separated him from his brother (!) Jupiter. 
Very often he had held conversation with the divinity of the 
capitol, mysteriously whispering in his ear, and receiving answers in 
the same way. They did not end without some altercations, for 
the insane king at last cried out : " Either lift thou me or I will 
thee," {^^^' H (1 dvdecp Tj ifo) akJ' II., xxiii., 724.) Yet he suffered 
himself to be quieted again through the invitation of the god to 
live with him. In order to carry out this command as soon as 
possible, he united the two hills by means of the famous bridge ; 
(later he laid the foundation for a palace on the Capitoline hill 
itself.) Three high brick walls still stand at the foot of the Palatine, 
which apparently belonged to the foundations of that wonderful 
passage. 

Naturally, the bridge must have gone close over the roof of the 
Basilica Julia, and so it might -have happened that the capricious 
ruler, when he visited the capitol, threw gold from the roof of the 
judgment hall to the people below. On this account, when he had 
exhausted the public treasury, through his thoughtless extrava- 
gance, he condescended on New Year's Day to accept gifts from 
his subjects, and most graciously received the richest gifts at the 
entrance of his palace. It is a hard but deserved judgment that all 



HOUSE OF CICERO. 



59 



the colossal undertakings of this prince, who seemed always to plan 
what was foolish, have either entirely vanished or are destroyed 
past recognition. 

A level path went along the northwest side of the hill. Before 
this side was occupied by royal residences many illustrious Romans 
had already built their 
houses there ; for the 
Palatine, with its re- 
minders of the origin 
of the city, was always 
a favorite quarter. 
Three famous orators 
lived upon the hill — 
Crassus, Hortensius,and 
Cicero ; also the latter's 
client, Milo, and his 
opponent, Clodius. 

Cicero had bought a 
place here for about a "^IJ 
quarter of a million ; 
but his good neighbor 
Clodius surpassed him, 
and paid $600,000 for 
his. Where each of 
these possessions lay 
can no longer be estab 
lished with certainty ; 
from Cicero's own evi- 
dence only this can be 
learned : that his house could be seen from the open place here, 
and that it was in the neighborhood of the official residence of the 
chief priest (Pontifex Maximus), which was situated at the forum, 
between the Temple of Castor and the Palatine. 

Along the whole region which runs parallel with the Velabruitty 




HORTENSIUS. 



60 THE GERMALUS. 

ancient and modern walls meet our way, which, however, awaken no 
great interest. It is only at the southwestern angle of the hill that 
we encounter a remarkable ruin — the remains of the oldest wall of 
Rome. The material for the well-hewn blocks of stone was ob- 
tained from the Palatine Hill itself. A portion of the wall, some 
five layers, is still standing upright, in which the stones are placed 
alternately length and breadth-wise, without mortar. The greatest 
thickness of the wall is fourteen feet, a thickness which was very 
effective where the wall made a right angle. In the construction of 
the first fortification, such a wall was built around the whole hill, 
inclosing an irregular quadrangle, the so-called Roma Quadra' ta. 
From this point remains of the ancient wall are seen at other places 
along the edge of the hill, but at this particular point it is best pre- 
served ; while, for example, beside the main gate, in front of the 
Temple of Jupiter Stator, it is fast crumbling to pieces. 

This part of the Palatine along which we have just passed the 
Romans called Ger'malus (which is said by Varro to be derived from 
germani^ twins), in remembrance of the wonderful rescue of the 
twins, Romulus and Remus. The Tiber near by, into whose raging 
flood they were to have been thrown, had just at that time over- 
flowed its banks, and filled the hollows between the Capitoline, 
Palatine, and Av^entine Hills. So the royal servants put the basket 
with the two brothers into the shallow water at the first convenient 
slope of the hill, where a fig-tree projected from the water, suppos- 
ing that the little ones would meet their death here as well as in 
the main current. At that time this region was still very wild, with 
wolves roaming in the forest. Is it any wonder, then, if one of 
these hungry animals, hearing the children cry, trotted thither to 
spy out the unexpected booty ? But at sight of the weeping 
brothers the she-wolf forgot her fierceness, herself, and her young 
ones, and nourished the two hungry creatures with her milk. Faus- 
tulus, who had just then stepped out of the thicket, observed this 
singularly affecting group with astonishment, carried the children 
home to his Laurentia, and reared them strong, brave lads. 



THE TENDER-HEARTED WOLF. 



6i 



" They were doomed by a bloody king : they were doomed by a lying priest : 
They were cast on the raging flood : they were tracked by the raging beast. 
Raging beast and raging flood alike have spared the prey ; 
And to-day the dead are living, the lost are found to-day. 

The troubled river knew them, and smoothed his yellow foam, 
And gently rocked the cradle that bore the fate of Rome. 
The ravening she-wolf knew them, and licked them o'er and o'er, 
And gave them of her own fierce milk, rich with raw flesh and gore." 

— Macau lay. 




THE BRONZE WOLF (Cic, in Cat. III., 19). 



Below our feet lies the valley between the Palatine and Aventine 
Hills, in which, during the celebration of games, the young Romans 
seized and carried off the daughters of the Sa^bines. From the top 
of the Palatine dov/n to the circus there was a stairway, called Cacus, 
probably in honor of that Cacus who is said to have stolen Her'cu- 
les's cattle and driven them to his cave in the Aventine. We can no 
longer ascend the steps, as most of them have been destroyed, and 
besides, we must not yet leave the southern slope ; there are still 
many things here to be seen. 



62 THE DOMUS GELOTIANA. 

On the left appear many traces of private houses, which show 
that the Romans were fond of Hving in this neighborhood. For it 
was no small gratification to a Roman to be able to view the sports 
in the circus from the roof of his house. The imperial palaces, 
which completely occupied the rest of the hill, never extended to 
this region. It seems to me quite natural that imperial freedmen, 
especially, should themselves have purchased property in the vicinity 
of the Palatine, and this also explains how Augustus could look at 
the races in the circus from the residences of his friends and freed- 
men, Caligula regaled himself with the lively scenes in the valley 
from the Gelo^tian house, (Do'inus Gelotia' 7id). The adjective gelo- 
tiana, derived from the name of a former inhabitant, was retained 
even after the rebuilding of the house, to distinguish it from the 
other parts of the palace.) 

The arrangements of the house, of which there are still remains, 
indicate that it dates from the time of Hadrian, and it is quite in 
accordance with the character of this emperor that he should have 
founded a school {^paed' ago' giuin) here. In an establishment of this 
kind, however, you must not imagine a Latin school, nor even a 
gymnasium, but rather a training school, where youths were 
instructed in polite manners and in the arts of the courtier. These 
institutions often turn out the most influential courtiers. For this 
reason aspiring young rnen were eager to enter, as we learn from 
the epitaph of a boy of seventeen, a student in one of these 
schools. He complains of being torn away from his studies too 
soon : ^^Discessi ab urbe in Praetorio Caesaris^ ubi dum studerem, fata 
mihi inviderunt raptumque ab arte tradiderunt hoc locoT The 
youths whose education was being provided for by the emperor 
\pueri Cae' sarum) are repeatedly mentioned in inscriptions, as are also 
their teachers {\h.Q praeceptores Caesarum or paedagogi puerorum). 

In this paedagogium we still recognize the pillared court, flanked 
on opposite sides by small rooms. Only those on the left, grouped 
around an ancient salon (cxc'drci), are preserved. They excite a 
peculiar interest on account of the inscriptions found on the walls. 




63 



HADRIAN. 



The words scratched on the wall are for the most part the work of 
young men leaving \\v& paedagogiiim^ as, for example, the following: 
CORIN 

THVS 

EXIT 

DE PEDAGO 

GIO. 

(Corinthus is leaving school.) 
The method of instruction in this paedagogiiiDi does not seem to 
have suited Corinthus, whose departure is recorded at another 



64 ROMAN LADS AT SCHOOL. 

place. His twice-occurring ''''exit'' sounds very much like a 
triumph at having at last outgrown the power of the pedagogues. 

Many names have appended to them the letters VDN, and 
several times the word beginning with V is written out in full, 
verna (a slave born in his master's house), so that the abbreviations 
must be read verna doinini nostri (^'a verna of our master"). In this 
imperial institute the children of the court-servants chiefly were 
trained, but they did not constitute the only inhabitants of the 
house ; there was in it also a guard of soldiers, rendered necessary 
on account of the isolated position of the hill. Some of these also 
have immortalized (!) their names, at the same time disclosing by 
the addition of '''' peregrl' nus' ("foreigner"), that they belonged to 
that part of the army which consisted of foreigners. Since these 
had their rendezvous on the neighboring Cselian hill, it is probable 
that the post in the Domus Gelotiana consisted of soldiers from that 
place. There must have been in ih.Q paedagogium, also, servants for 
the heavy work, and slaves intrusted with the management of the 
whole establishment. 

It is quite a lively scene that is unfolded before our eyes in 
these deserted chambers. In the small, cool rooms the boys are 
learning their lesson (^pensum); yonder, at the entrance, soldiers 
are loitering about, while others are sitting in airy exedra^ relat- 
ing to each other loquaciously {inultis cum verbis) their various 
adventures. During the narration of these tales, probably not 
quite new^ the listeners had time to think of other things and 
scratch their "happy thoughts" on the walls. Sometimes they 
drew pictures of circus-horses, fighters in nets, or other reminis- 
cences from the arena. 

The pupils appear to have been as fond at that time of teasing 
each other as they are to-day. At any rate, in a small room is the 
name LibA'nvs, and under it, in a different hand, is written 
EPISCOPVS. In still another place is repeated : LiBANVS EPI. 
Libanus, without doubt, had the bad habit of " telling on " his fellow 
pupils, and so they nicknamed him {episcopus )th.Q "overseer." I do 



CARICATURES ON THE WALLS. 65 

not think it can be inferred from tliis nickname tliat he was a 
Christian. Perhaps the one w^ho wTote the Greek word underneath 
had just learned it, and felt glad that it suited the unpopular 
Libanus so well. 

More uncouth, but more good natured, is the joke on the wall 
in the last room, where, w^ith a few bold strokes, the picture of an 
ass turning a mill-stone is scratched into the plaster, and below it 
are these words : {Labor a, aselle, quomodo ego labor avi, et prodcrit tibi\ 
"work, little donkey, as I have, and it will do you good." This 
witticism may have been perpetrated by a slave who formerly had 
to turn the mill himself, and is now leisurely looking at the donkey 
doing it. But I would rather ascribe the jest to one of the depart- 
ing pupils. He has become " soured," and is now laughing at the 
complaints of one of those who must remain, and so draws this 
neat little picture behind his back. 

Of all these scrolls the well-known caricature of the crucifixion 
has become the most noted. To a cross drawn by a few lines is 
affixed a man with a head of an ass, and, by his side, as if engaged 
in prayer, is a horribly deformed man, with these words : 
( A?.s^d/ievo^ (Tillers [(Tsj^erac'] d-eou) " Alexam'enos worships God." As 
Alexamenos in another inscription is called a ''fide' lis " ("faithful 
one"), it is established, beyond a doubt, that here a Christian was 
mocked by his rude companions because he was not afraid to pray 
in their presence. It was cast in the face of the Jews originally 
that they worshipped an ass's head. In the wilderness they were 
said to have followed the wild asses to see where they went to 
drink, and to have worshipped the ass afterward in the temple in 
thankfulness for this guidance. And since the Christians were 
regarded at first as a sect of the Jews, they had to endure this 
senseless reproach. TertuTlian, in his defence of Christianity, 
repels this imputation with much force. The " mock crucifix " 
belongs to the time of this church father, at the end of the second 
or beginning of the third century, and shows that the habit, 
wide-spread at that time, of deriding the Christians, had penetrated 



66 PAUL'S DESCRIPTION OF THE CHRISTIAN'S ARMOR. 

even into the youthful circle of \.\\q paedagogium. These rooms also 
have for us great interest from the belief which many have that 
they are those once occupied by the Praetorian guard which had St. 
Paul in custody. "The close of the Epistle to the Ephesians 
contains a remarkable example of the forcible imagery of St. Paul. 
Considered simply in itself, the description of the Christian's armor 
is one of the most striking passages in the sacred volume. But if 
we view it in connection with the circumstances with which the 
Apostle was surrounded, we find a new and living emphasis in his 
enumeration of all the parts of the heavenly panoply, — the belt of 
sincerity and truth, with which the loins are girded for the 
spiritual war, — the breastplate of that righteousness, the insepa- 
rable links of which are faith and love, — the strong sandals, with 
which the feet of Christ's soldiers are made ready, not for such 
errands of death and despair as those on which the Praetorian 
soldiers were daily sent, but for the universal message of the 
Gospel of Peace, — the large shield of confident trust, wherewith the 
whole man is protected, and'whereon the fiery arrows of the wicked 
one fall harmless and dead, — the close-fitting helmet, with which 
the hope of salvation invests the head of the believer, — and finally 
the sword of the spirit, the Word of God, which, when wielded by 
the great Captain of our Salvation, turned the tempter in the 
wilderness to fiight, while in the hands of His chosen Apostle, with 
whose memory the sword seems inseparably associated, it became 
the means of establishing Christianity on the earth. All this 
imagery becomes doubly forcible -if we remember that when St. 
Paul wrote the words he was chained to a soldier, and in the close 
neighborhood of military sights and sounds. The appearance of 
the Praetorian guards was familiar to him ; as his ' chains,' on the 
other hand, so he tells us in the succeeding epistle, became well 
known throughout the whole Praetorium." — Conybeare and Howson. 
The Doimis Gelotiana stands at the end of a hollow which for- 
merly separated the northwestern part of the Palatine from the 
southeastern. Up to this we have passed along the northwestern 



VIEW FROM THE PALATINE. 6/ 

edge of the hill, and are now entering on that part which extends 
toward the southeast, which was not occupied till later times by im- 
perial buildings. Septimius Severus built himself a palace here 
similar to the one of Caligula at the north side. Endless rows of 
lofty arches and innumerable chambers engage our attention here, 
but it is no longer possible to tell the original use of each room. 
Lofty corridors, small, damp rooms, baths, splendid halls, succeed 
one another,- and we are glad to reach the summit of the ruins with- 
out losing our way. Here we stand on the floor of the main hall, 
and the gloomier our way was through the lower story, the more 
charming is the view from above. Irresistibly attracted by the 
landscape which is spread out before us, we forget the ruins be- 
neath our feet. Directly in front of us, toward the Tiber, is the 
Av'entine, now the most deserted of all the hills, being occupied by 
monasteries and vineyards only ; and, although it has no stately 
palaces and magnificent churches, the eye rests with satisfaction on 
its many green gardens. Far toward the south stretches the for- 
saken Campa gna^ travered by the Via Ap'pia^ with its ruins and 
tombs. 

One must see it to feel its attractiveness To me it appears, 
with its monuments and half-broken down arches of ancient 
aqueducts, like the lonely potters-field. No matter how warm 
the sun shines down upon it, how clear and ' blue the sky above 
it, it always retains its melancholy hues ; only a sad halo is diffused 
over it. How gayly the Alban hills rise up in the distance, and how 
charmingly the villages and towns nestle on their slopes. 

" Alba, thou findest me still, and, Alba, thou findest me ever. 
Now from the Capitol steps, now over Titus's Arch, 
Here from the large grassy spa,ces that spread from the Laferan portal. 

Towering o'er aqueduct lines lost in perspective between. 
Or from a Vat'ican window, or bridge, or the high Col-ise'um, 

Clear by the garlanded line cut of the flavian ring. 
Beautiful can I not call thee, and yet thou hast power to o'ermaster. 
Power of mere beauty; in dream.s, Alba, thou hauntest me still." 

—A. H. C lough. 



68 THE COLISEUM. 

But above and beyond the hills tower up, skirting the horizon, 
the jagged, treeless summits of the Apennines, already clad in their 
wintry garments of snow. 

If we turn our eyes back from this distant view, they will rest in 
the near vicinity of the most stupendous ruin of Rome, on the 
Flavian Amphitheatre or Colise^um, The side' toward us has disap- 
peared down to the first story, while on the other the circles tower 
up one above the other to the highest gallery. From our position 
we have a view into the interior of the structure. It rises up before 
us with its gigantic masonry like a city on the slope of a hill. 

" Arches on arches ! as it were that Rome, 
Collecting the chief trophies of her line, 
Would build up all her triumphs in one dome, 
Her Coliseum stands ; 

A ruin — yet that ruin ! From its mass 

Walls, palaces, half-cities, have been reared ; 
Yet Dft the enormous skeleton ye pass. 

And marvel where the spoil could have appeared. 
Hath it indeed been plundered, or but cleared ? 

Alas ! developed, opens the decay. 
When the colossal fabric's form is neared : 

It will not bear the brightness of the day. 
Which streams too much on all years, man, have reft away." 

— Byron. 

'' This vast building was erected in A. D. 72, upon the site of 
the reservoir of Nero, by the Emperor Vespasian, who built as far 
as the third row of arches, the last two rows being finished by 
Titus after his return from the conquest of Jerusalem. It is said 
that 12,000 captive Jews were employed in this work, as the 
Hebrews in building the Pyramids of Egypt, and that the external 
walls alone cost a sum equal to 17,000,000 francs. It consists of 
four stories, the first Dor'ic, the second lon'ic, the third and fourth 
Corin'thian. Its circumference is 1641 feet, its length 287, its 
width 182, its height 157." "The dedication of the Coliseum 



THE FLAVIAN AMPHITHEATRE. 



69 



afforded to Titus an opportunity for a display of magnificence 
hitherto unrivalled. A battle of cranes with dwarfs representing 
the pigmies was a fanciful novelty, and m.ight afford diversion for 
a moment ; there 
were combats of 
gladiators, among 
whom women were 
included, though 
no noble matron 
was allowed to 
mingle in the fray ; 
and the capacity 
of the vast edifice 
was tested by the 
slaughter of five 
thousand animals 
in its circuit. The 
show was crowned ^l 
with the immis- 
sion of water into 
the . arena, and 
with a sea-fight 
representing the 
contests of the Cor- 
inthians and Cor- 
cyreans, related 
by Thuc}"d^ides." 
During the games 
and shows there was still more to be seen from this height. Then, 
even early in the morning, the people swayed hither and thither in 
the long rows of seats in the Circus Mdx'inius, which lay between 
the Palatine and Av'entine, in order to secure the best seats; 'and 
in the boarding-houses and inns there were lively scenes. " The 
circus was intended for chariot-races and horse-races, and is said to 




VESPASIAN. 



70 



THE CIRCUS MAXIMUS. 




THE CIRCUS. 



71 



have been first Instituted by Tarquinius Priscus, after his conquest 
of the Latin town of Apiolce. It was a vast oblong, ending in a 
semi-circle, and surrounded by three rows of seats, termed col- 
lectively cd'uea. In the centre of the area was the low wall called 
the spina, at each end of which were the inetae, or goals. Between 
the metae were columns supporting the ova, egg-shaped balls, and 
delphi'nae, or dolphins, each seven in number, one of which was 
put up for each circuit made in the race. At the extremity of the 
circus were the stalls for the horses and chariots called car' ceres. 
At one time this circus was capable of containing 385,000 
persons." It must have had a peculiar charm for a Roman to 
watch, in eager suspense, the different parties adorned with .their 
respective colors, and to be able to follow the green, blue, red, and 
white charioteers in their headlong course. 

For this reason Septimius Severus built himself, on this side of 
the palace, a spacious lodge, from which he could completely sur- 
vey the games. To this lodge were joined small chambers, of 
which a rotunda is particularly noticeable. In the walls are still 
seen the niches which were adorned with statues. Into this splen- 
did hall the emperor may have retreated with his friends during 
the intervals to recover from the excitement of the games. 

The valley, which once was filled with the cries and applause 
of a crovv'd of anxious spectators, has now become silent. The 

rows of stone benches have disappeared. 
The place where once the car' ceres con- 
fined the restless horses is now occupied 
by quite a modern building — a gas factory ! 
And on the ancient race-course itself, where 
once rushed along the Roman two-horse 
chariots {bigae) rope-makers are now with 
careful steps twisting their many-stranded 
ropes. . " 

Septimius Severus was very fond of building. We are informed 
by his biographer, Sparti'anus, that, in addition to his new build- 




72 THE STADIUM. 

ings, he restored all the public buildings of Rome that had been 
damaged. His palace he is said to have located ori this side of the 
Palatine, not only for convenience of residence, but also for the 
purpose of showing his countrymen (he was African) who might ap- 
proach the city by the Via Appia, how powerful a monarch he was. 
And this impression he strengthened still more by the so-called 
Septizonium, an edifice of seven stories, three of which remained 
till the time of Sixtus V. 

This singular building was finished 203 A. D., after the emperor's 
return with his victorious army from Asia, where he probably con- 
ceived the idea of such a tower. At any rate, the seven stories 
remind us of the well-known ruins in Babylon, whose terraces were 
adorned with various colors, and dedicated to seven planets. Now 
it has all vanished. 

I do not, however, purpose to write to you of that which has 
been destroyed, but rather to teach you to understand that which 
has survived the storms of time. Unfortunately, we cannot make 
the circuit of the whole Palatine, as there are still two cloisters on 
the hill whose gates are closed against us. Let us retrace our steps, 
therefore, to the Domus Gelotiana, and while returning cast a brief 
glance at the Stadium. 

By Stadium is meant a race-course, in which runners, boxers, 
and wrestlers exhibit their skill. Athletes originally were not 
admired by the Romans. The first were introduced into Rome in 
186 by Fulvius Nobilior. The gladiatorial contests were better 
suited to the rude tastes of the time. But the more Greek culture 
found its way into Rome, and the oftener Roman youths went to 
Greece and visited the gyvi\r\diSiums{Palae'st7'a), the more athletic 
sports came into vogue. At first they were held in temporary race- 
courses or in the circus. Domitian established a stone Stadium in 
the Campus Martins, which had a capacity of about thirty thousand. 
This one on the Palatine appears also to date from the reign of 
Domitian, and, when we consider his passionate fondness for shows 
of every kind, it is not surprising that he should have built himself 



THE STADIUM. 73 

another near his palace on the Palatine. At that time all young 
men practised the Greek games. Boxing and vaulting were fash- 
ionable. It is a little singular, to be sure, that the two court poets, 
Sta'tius and Martial, who in other respects could not sufficiently 
celebrate the splendors of their master's reign, make no mention 
of a Stadium ovi the Palatine. Perhaps they expected us to take 
the existence of one for granted, since every wealthy Roman had a 
place for gymnastics near his villa, or perhaps Domitian was unable 
to finish it. 

You can yet see where the straight line was where the athletes 
begaji their race, and the curve {oQzvbdvrj) which closed the upper 
end of the course. The seats evidently rose in tiers toward the 
walls, but the plan of the Stadium itself was entirely changed by 
later alterations. The larger part was transformed into an oval 
space which certainly was still large enough for gymnastic 
exercises, while the other part was turned into a pillared court. 
It is probable that the whole Stadium was arranged rather for 
the private use of the imperial family. The princes took vigorous 
exercise in all sorts of games, and then refreshed themselves 
in the shady corridors of the court, or sought repose in the adjacent 
halls. 

Our road now leads us up to the summit of the Palatine, where 
there was formerly, as has been already stated, a valley. Domitian, 
no longer satisfied with the old palace, wished to prepare himself a 
site for a new one, and so filled up the hollow between the hills, 
thus obtaining a large level surface for his palace, the private houses 
being torn down and used as foundations for the new building. 
Several of these old subterranean walls, with traces of their former 
adornment, may still be seen. A portion of the Palace of Augustus 
also was destroyed at that time, for here must have been the 
site of the first imperial residence. 

The house of Augustus's parents was on the Palatine, but the 
exact locality (which was known by the name of ''Ad Capita 
Bubula'') is unknown to us. Later, Augustus lived near the forum. 



74 



STATUE OF AUGUSTUS. 



vii^i^ 




'^iPiii!l!ilii!ii!!!''R!''i'iilliiiiiV!ip!]!ii I'liii n '1' ''m 



AUGUSTUS. 



RESIDENCES OF AUGUSTUS. 75 

in a house which he had purchased from the Orator Hortensius. 
Suetonius tells us that it was a very modest dwelling, having only 
short colonnades, and rooms unadorned either with marble or artis- 
tic mosaics. This simplicity exactly suited the new occupant. For 
more than forty years he remained in Rome, both summer and 
winter, although the climate during the cooler season did not at all 
agree with him. For the purpose of having the officers of the gov- 
ernment at hand, he purchased several of the neighboring houses, 
and united them with his own. Besides this, he built a magnificent 
temple to Apollo on that portion of his property where a thunder- 
bolt had struck. At the same time he established a Greek and 
Latin library. ~' 

On becoming chief priest {Pon'tifex Mdx'iinus), he converted his 
house into state property, that he might remain here as high priest ;, 
for he was not willing to remove to the residence set apart by the 
state for the Pontifex, the Regia^ because he was striving to turn 
away the attention of the people from the Forum of the Republic 
to the hill of the emperor. The outline of his house has been 
traced from the foundation walls, which were discovered during the 
restoration of the French nunnery. But from the drawings alone it 
is impossible to indicate the purposes of the several apartments, 
the ruins themselves being no longer accessible.. 

Not far from the house of Augustus {Domus Ati'gustand), 3.C- 
cording to ancient descriptions, was that of Tiberius {Domus Ti- 
berid'nd) ; the site of this is also for the most part covered by 
modern buildings, the gloomy walls being concealed by charming 
gardens with blooming rose-hedges. Only that side of the palace 
toward the Circus has been laid bare. 

Tiberius also was born on the Pala.tine, probably in the small 
house immediately behind the palace. This is the so-called house 
of Livia. It is especially celebrated on account of its well-pre- 
served wall paintings, and has the arrangements of a Romail pri- 
vate house. Behind the '* front room," . the atrium^ we enter the 
tdb'linuni, which is flanked on both sides by small chambers, the so- 



76 



DOMUS TIBERIANA. 



called a lac. The south side is occupied by a richly decorated space 
that may have served as a dining hall (triclin'iiini), while the eastern 
part was used for domestic purposes. It is noticeable that there is 

a descent from the entrance 
hall, the vestib'ulum^ into the 
a iriuvi^hxx'i it is not probable 
that this was so originally. 
The surroundings of the 
house must have changed 
through the elevation of the 
ground by modern build- 
ings. 

As Tiberius built his pal- 
ace beside his father's, he 
was loth to tear the latter 
down, but rather preserved 
the low-lying, modest dwell- 
ing as best he could, and 
gave it to his mother Livia 
as a '^ widow's portion." 
Later, the residence passed 
into the possession of the 
family of German'icus. 
Tiberius himself lived in 
TIBERIU-. ^]^g ^g^ palace, opposite to 

the old palace of Augustus. It had an unobstructed view of the 
Forum and the Capitol. Nothing is known of its interior. On the 
side toward the house of Livia, a row of arched chambers has been 
excavated, whose walls were defaced and more or less scribbled over. 
The import of the words and drawings makes it probable that this 
was the station-house for the palace guards. 

The great fire in the reign of Nero made fearful havoc in this 
region, the Tenth Ward of the city, to which the Palatine be- 
longed. Part of the walls naturally remained standing, and so the 




INTERIOR OF A ROMAN HOUSE. 



17 




78 



GALEA S RESIDENCE AND DEATH. 



royal palace {^palathun) could be restored in a short time. Gal'ba 
afterward lived in the palatium^ and with him three of the most 
influential men of Rome— Titus Vm'ius, Cornelius La'go, and 

the freedman Icelus — - 
whom the people jest- 
ingly called the em- 
peror's tutors. 

The Emperor Galba 
was to have been mur- 
dered in his own house, 
and yet Otho feared the 
watchfulness of the 
body-guards ; so, on the 
day on which he in- 
tended, with the aid of 
the dissatisfied praeto- 
rians, to execute the 
coup d' etat^ he had the 
false report spread that 
the disorders in the 
camps were over, and 
he himself killed. Hav- 
ing thus induced the 
''^''^''- credulous Galba to go 

down to the forum without trustworthy protection, he had him 
surprised and killed. 

Otho himself had affectionately greeted the emperor in the 
morning, and had then, as Tacitus says, under the pretense of 
having, with several experts, to look at a house offered for sale, 
hastened away ''through the Palace of Tiberius into the Velabrum, 
thence to the Golden .Milestone by the Temple of Saturn" — {^' per 
Dornum Tiberianam in Velabrum^ inde ad milliarium aiireum sub 
Aedein Satuntiy) Suetonius affirms that he made his way through 
the rear portion of \h.& palatiuin. From a comparison of these two 




OTHO AND VITELLIUS. 



79 




passages, it is seen that the Palace of Augustus at that time was 
still used as the principal place of assembly for the Senate, and that 
the Palace of Tiberius was looked upon rather as 
the private residence of the emperor. 

The first state paper, which the new Emperor 
Otho signed was an appropriation of about twenty- 
five thousand dollars for the completion of Nero's 
Palace, whith stretched from the Palatine to the otho. 

Esquiline. But the ninety-five days of his reign did not suffice to 
finish this golden palace. The reign of Vitellius, also, was too 
short for that purpose. Vespasian's army entered Rome too soon. 

V^itellius, who, in his perplexity, was entirely 
dependent on the caprice of his soldiers, 
took no part in the storming of the Capitol, 
but calmly surveyed the exciting contest and 
the conflagration from the Palace of Tiberius, 
in which he was feasting at the time. 

The Flavian emperors carried the exces- 
sively extended Palace of Nero no further. 
As a favo.r to the pleasure-loving people, 
they erected the colossal amphitheatre, 
which has been named after them, in a hollov/ between the Palatine, 
Caelian, and Esquiline Hills. Vespasian appears not to have had 
much admiration for the Palatine, and did not live there, but in 
the gardens of Sallust, near the Pincian and Quiri'nal. 

In the reign of Titus another fire broke out, which considerably 
injured the Capitol. Titus considered it his first duty to repair 
these new damages, and tp give every assistance in his power to 
the unfortunate cities of Campania. Domitian was the first to 
build a new palace for his family. He was far from desirous of 
restoring the Palace of the odious Caligula, and preferring to live 
in the vicinity of the Palace of Augustus, he built a new palace, on 
the level ground, made by filling up the hollow, as has already 
been mentioned. Although this palace was not of so gigantic 




8o 



HOW DOMITIAN BUILT HIS PALACE. 



proportions as that of Nero, it was scarcely inferior to it in 
splendor. 

This is the only palace on the Palatine whose interior arrange- 
ments are still easily traceable. On the side toward the forum 
there was a broad stairway, but all traces of this are lost in the ter- 
raced ground. The vestibule is not a narrow passage, like that in 
the house of Livia, but a broad landing-place, where the stairway 
began. Here the degenerate Romans waited until their " Jupiter " 
saw fit to give them an audience. As the troops of clients in 
ancient times assembled at the atrium of their "patron" to greet 
him and accompany him to his business in the forum, so now the 
nobles wait at the door of the Palatium for permission from the 
dread tyrant to enter. All the events of the day have been dis- 
cussed ; the rich material for conversation afforded by the new 
plays introduced by the emperor, has long 
since been exhausted ; every outbreak of 
ill-humor on the part of the master has been 
traced to its source; when, finally, the large 
doors of the reception hall are thrown open, 
and a troop of servants, dressed in white, 
step forth upon the threshold to survey, 
with grim faces, the waiting crowd. For 
not every one is admitted to the presence 
of the emperor. It costs the less-esteemed 
knight much trouble and many a denarius before he can surmount 
every obstacle. 

Today he has been fortunate. enough, for the first time, to enter 
these halls. He is dazzled by the splendor. It surpasses all his 
expectations. He has scarcely the courage to step over the thresh- 
old, which consists of an immense block of Grecian marble; but 
one glance into the interior tells him that he cannot begin to 
examine everything in detail ; there is too much of beauty to be 
seen. He is most pleased with the pillars of Phrygian and Numidian 
marble, with which the walls are adorned. The bases, and espec- 




A RECEPTION AT DOMITIAN'S. 8i 

ially the capitals, are so elaborately carved and so rich in their 
forms that they appear to him much more beautiful than the simple 
ones of the ancient temples. Behind the poHico the walls are 
relieved by niches, from which gods and heroes look down on the 
actions of feeble mortals. 

But our knight, at present, does not desire to admire Hercules 
and Bacchus and the rest of the statues ; he wants, above all, to see 
him whom the poets have compared to the father of the gods. Yon- 
der, on his lofty seat, he sits enthroned, opposite the entrance, proud 
and gloomy, looking down upon those approaching to greet him. 

Long time had our ambitious knight to possess his soul in 
patience before the doors of this hall of the gods were thrown open 
to him ; and now, instead of Jupiter, he verily thinks he sees before 
him the gods of the lower world. Timidly he drops his eyes in the 
presence of the angry and suspicious glance of Domitian. From 
the chamber on the left comes forth the fragrance of incense which 
had been burned yonder on the small altar to the genius of the 
emperor. Did the tyrant in the enjoyment of all these honors have 
some conception of his human weakness? Was it on that account 
that his forehead was clouded, his lips compressed? The knight 
knew not, but he felt that here every movement, every look, might 
furnish an occasion for speedy death. The floor with the costly 
marble begins to burn under his feet, and he notices with terror that 
only a few individuals approach the throne to greet the tyrant with 
a morning kiss. 

Yet there are only a few who are deemed worthy of this honor. 
The people call them the " first friends " of the emperor, and envy 
them greatly. So our young Roman .previously has known no 
higher aim in life than to be counted among this first class of the 
'* friends " i^'amicV), but to-day he can do very well without that 
happiness; the imperial kiss had no longer any charm for him. He 
hastens down the stairs of the palace as if awakened from a night- 
mare, and wishes in his inmost soul that he had never felt the ambi- 
tion to bid the emperor good morning. 



82 



A ROMAN GARDEN SCENE. 




THE EMPEROR'S COURT. 83 

Meanwhile his companions rush upon him with most eager and 
curious questions : '* In what kind of a mood was he? " " What did 
the haruspices announce?" ''Whom did he salute with a kiss?" 
^'What expression did his face assume when your name was 
announced?" Although at that moment it had become so dark to 
the eyes of the knight that he did not notice anything around him, 
he nevertheless answered very explicitly all these and other questions 
of his eager friends, and felt his own importance immensely. When 
they reached the forum he had forgotten the anguish he had under- 
gone, and even believed that he should soon become one of the 
most favored of friends. 

After the tedious morning solemnities the emperor went to the 
court-room (c), which was on the right of the aula regia. Along 
both sides of the interior were columns, whilst the space opposite 
the door was used as a rostrum. With its mosaic floor it is as vv^ell 
preserved as if the emperor, supported by his wily counsellors, had 
decided here only yesterday the most important cases. There is 
also seen quite a good part of the pretty marble barriers which 
barely separated the seats of the jurors from the place occupied by 
the people. " The appeals from the provinces in civil causes were 
heard, not by the emperor himself, but by his delegates, who were 
persons of rank; Augustus had appointed one such delegate to hear 
appeals from each province respectively. But criminal appeals 
appear generally to have been heard by the emperor in person, 
assisted by his council of assessors. Tiberius and Claudius had 
usually sat for this purpose in the forum ; but Nero, after the exam- 
ple of Augustus, heard these causes in the imperial palace." 

In the private homes of the Romans, the so-called fauces united 
the front part of the house with the peristyliinn and the garden. 
But as such narrow passages were not used in palaces, Domitian had 
constructed upon both sides broad halls that grew to the size of 
rooms (d). Here the servants were permitted to stay. They might 
also have been used for the keeping of many utensils which were 
indispensable for the cleaning of the halls. From the passage one 



84 



NERO. 




entered the court -yard (e), which took in a space of 3,000 square 
metres. The floor was cleared, and we can conclude from the relics 
found there that costly marble columns had formed, in the interior, 
a sort of passage, which gave a cooling shade to the lord and his 
aristocratic guests. 

Just as the aula regia and the adjacent rooms were devoted to 
serious business, so were the spaces into which we just entered 
reserved for the guests invited to the imperial table. The guests, 
adorned in festive togas, were carried in their sedan-chairs to the 



A VISIT TO DOMITIAN'S TRICLINIUM. 85 

side entrance of the palace and hastened, full of expectation, up the 
few steps which led them immediately to the octagonal reception 
room (f). There they greeted their friends and looked critically 
at the new-comers, who gazed with embarrassed looks at the mosaic 
floor and the ornaments on the walls. Old acquaintances were soon 
in eager conversation and withdrew mysteriously into the smaller 
apartments which joined the ante-room upon both sides. 

At last the servants called the guests to the repast, and from all 
sides these thronged to the dining-room, from the lofty doors of 
which the curtains had been drawn back. Their eyes, which had 
already become weary in admiring all the treasures, were now in 
danger of being fairly dazzled on account of the splendor which met 
their gaze from the gilded ceiling, the lofty granite columns, the 
artistically patterned mosaic floor. They almost believed they had 
entered the home of a Mf das, and only feared that golden refresh- 
ments were awaiting them. But when the festive throng of visitors 
had, at the nod of the em^peror, sat down at a thousand tables, then 
entered in long procession the servants, carrying food and wines, of 
such exquisite kind that it seemed as if Genres and Bacchus them- 
selves had come as waiters to the guests. 

The host himself, in genial humor, arrayed in purple garments, 
smiled graciously down upon his company. At least it so appeared 
to the poet Statins, who had been invited to the imperial table, and 
related to us afterward what happened there. He cannot praise 
enough the serene peace and majesty which overspread the counte- 
nance of the ruler, and feels like one enchanted at being permitted 
to feast at table in presence of the all-powerful one ; indeed, he 
imagines himself resting with Jupiter among the stars. Were the 
other guests equally delighted? Did they also gaze transfigured 
upon the emperor? 

Statins tells us nothing of this, for he speaks only of the most 
important personages present ; that is, of Domitian and himself. 
Encouraged by the affability of the emperor, he must have ap- 
proached after the repast the imperial couch to utter his thanks for 



86 



STATIUS AND HIS POEM. 




the invitation, in good wishes that a life without end and a power 
without limit might be bestowed upon the gracious lord by the 
gods. Then, proud of his artistic phrases, he hastens home and 
pours out his enthusiasm in a poem which he means, at a later time, 
to present to the emperor. 

Not all the guests were in such haste. Many were still feasting 
at the table, though Domitian had already retired ; they would have 
so much liked to learn the secrets of the Court in a confidential con- 
versation with the servants who could be bribed. Others withdrew 



THE GARDEN. 



37 



to the apartment which joins the dining-hall on the right (h). Here 
bubbled a merry fountain, which poured its waters into an oval 
marble basin. Four Httle niches are still seen in this basin, from 
which, no doubt, some 
little Cupids roguishly 
smiled down into the 
mirror-like waters. Round 
about the fountain were 
flowers of glowing colors 
in bloom, and out from 
the green foliage and rosy 
leaves looked forth Eros 
to overlook triumphantly 
his little kingdom. Now 
no longer does the gar- 
dener tend this bed, but 
luxuriant plants come up 
spontaneously and adorn 
with their fresh foliage 
this spot which seems 
like a little boat afloat in 
the basin. In no room of 
the lofty palace can one 
feel so comfortable as 
in this abode of the 
nymphs. 

Yet we might, per- 
haps, have felt different 
if, in company with the a fountain (cupid and the goose). 

aristocratic Romans, we had entered this alabaster hall from the 
banquet of the imperial table. Some of them stagger in, intoxicated 
with wine and pleasure, whilst others sit down quietly by the waters 
to cool their hot cheeks. One sees in their restless eyes that some- 
thing torments them, that they fear to have offended the emperor 




88 NOT ALL SO WELL TREATED AS STATIUS. 

by a thoughtless word or an unguarded look. For Domitian was 
not always in good humor at table, nor could all enjoy his glances 
as harmlessly as did Statius. Those occupying an important posi- 
tion in the state were, indeed, obliged to be on their guard. 

The emperor paid attention to all present, and often used the 
time of the repast to watch his invited guests. Then he had dined 
himself before their arrival, and lay at table on the tricliniufn only 
to see how his quirites would act under the influence of his wines. 
If the banquet were too long or the company too careful in 
behavior (!), then he had the different courses served in such haste 
that the food was rather thrown than placed before the guests. 

Still worse did he once treat his tormented courtiers. The hall, 
formerly so full of splendor, had been draped in black. Near every 
plate was placed a candle, such as is used in the last services for the 
dead, and upon a black tablet was written the name of the guest. 
The servants were clothed in black and served the guests, frightened 
to death, with food in black utensils. You can imagine in what a 
state of mind the Senators and first men in the state returned to 
their homes, and how astonished they were at soon after receiving 
costly gifts from the emperor, which were to make amends to them 
for the distress which they had suffered. 

Such jests Domitian permitted himself at the time when there 
were no traces left of the mild disposition and the abstemiousness 
he had here and there shown in the first year of his reign, whilst 
now he was bent only upon satisfying his wild passions, and show- 
ing his boundless disdain for the upper classes among his people. 
The punishment was not long in coming. Soon he no longer 
felt any security ; wherever he might be, he imagined himself 
pursued by an assassin ; he started at the slightest noise behind 
him. 

It no longer sufficed that armed guards lay in wait upon the 
palace stairs, that his chamberlains assured him that he might be 
without anxiety. He wanted always to be able to overlook the 
whole open court {peristylium), in which he used to take his walk, 



DOMITIAN S REWARD. 



89 



and therefore he had the walls of the portico {porticus) covered with 
slabs of marble which shone so brightly that whatever happened 
behind him was reflected by it as by a mirror. Thus were these 
apartments and halls, in which formerly finely dressed guests feasted 
at the most luxurious table in Rome, changed into a lonely prison, 
or (to use the words of the younger Pliny) *' a fierce lair, whither 
he was being driven by terror and haughtiness and the hate of 
TC\GY\!' —{saevi secessus, in qiios timore et superbia et odio hominum 
agebatur). 

Between the rear of the Flavian Palace and the southern limit 
of the mountain lies still a pretty large space, which is bounded on 
the east by small porticos and two large halls. These open, spaces 
did not, to be sure, belong immediately to 
the imperial palace of Domitian, but must 
have had some connection with it. When 
they were discovered, they were called 
'' Library " and "Academy," and they still 
bear these names, although one could not 
prove the justice of these appellations. 
Both apartments have an entrance from 
the west. The rear walls were occupied 
by semi-circular alcoves. In one of them 
we can still see the row of seats erected around the walls. We 
can easily imagine that here the court poets and those who aspired 
to be so, presented their poems before a chosen public. Graciously 
accepted poems were then perhaps placed in the Library Building, 
near by, to find rest there forever more. 

The savants could walk into the porticos, and sometimes, in the 
fresh air, carry on their learned discussions, if by chance it had 
become too sultry for them in the interior. Perhaps the colonnade, 
lined by columns, led to the ornamental garden grounds of the 
emperor, the so-called '^ Adonea^' which must have been laid out 
here toward the east. Some have even supposed that these spaces 
belonged to a large building for warm baths, which extended as 




DOMITIAN. 



90 



LIBRARY AND ACADEMY. 




VIEW ON THE PALATINE. 



far as the Stadium. Yet we cannot give proof of this statement 
until the space between the Flavian Palace and the Stadium has 
been carefully explored. 

The lecture-room has a very fine position at the edge of the 
hill top, and from its windows one enjoys a wonderful view, which 
perhaps occupied the thoughts of the listening Romans more than 
the tedious verses of the endless heroic poems recited there. Upon 
the plain below the hall one was always sure to find acquaintances, 
for everybody was glad to go to the palatium to hear something 
new. And very often the conversation there was so entertaining 
that it was easy to forget for what purpose one had come, and has- 
tening, with quick steps, into the auditorium, he heard only the last 
of the exquisite (!) verses which the poet was reciting in a hoarse 
voice to the audience. 



TEMPLES OF JUPITER VICTOR AND JUPITER STATOR. 91 

After having had this enjoyment one might visit one of the Pal- 
atine temples. The next on this side is that of Jupiter Victor, 
which Fabius vowed during the battle at Sentinum when the vic- 
tory was almost in the hands of the Samnites. The substructure of 
the great temple is still in existence, and also the long stairs that 
led up to it have been replaced, but of the cella itself and the col- 
umns nothing more is seen. 

At a much earlier date had been built a sanctuary to the highest 
divinity of the state, in front of the oldest Palatine street. This 
temple also was vowed to the gods in the distress of battle. When 
the Samnites, with their brave leader, Mettius Curtius, at their 
head, had driven the Romans over the forum and had pursued 
them up the hill road as far as the old gate of the Palatiiim, then 
Romulus raised his sword toward heaven and reminded Jupiter that 
those were his birds by whose counsel he had founded a city here ; 
would that he might now be pleased to keep the enemy away, at 
least from this hill, and to remove all fear from the Romans and 
thus interrupt the disgraceful flight, *' Here I vow to thee, Jupiter 
Stator, a temple, to be a memorial for future generations how 
through thy timely interference the city was rescued." 

In the certainty that his prayer had been heard and accepted he 
turned towards his soldiers and called : '^ Here, Romans, Jupiter, 
greatest and best, commands us to stand and renew the' battle," 
{^^ Hine Romania Jupiter Optimus Maximus resistere atque iterare 
pugnam iubet'') and the ranks ceased to flee. Romulus rushed to 
the front, the combat began anew and ended in the victory of the 
Romans, trusting in their God. Jupiter Stator received this 
promised temple. 

M. Attilius Regulus extended this building, in fulfilment of a 
vow made before Luce'ria in the great battle against the Samnites, 
295 B. C. Still at the present day do these ruins left of the restora- 
tions of the temples in later republican times remind us how much 
the Romans cared for these sanctuaries, and how much even the 
most frivolous emperors embellished them. Before this temple the 



92 THE SUBTERRANEAN PASSAGE. 

equestrian statue of Cloelia was erected, so that every one entering 
the gate near by would be reminded of the Romans' strength and 
of the bravery of the Roman maiden. 

Of the high gate nothing more is seen unless perhaps a ruin of 
these imperial times marks the place of the ancient gate in front of 
this temple. It was the Porta Mugonia, which was so called because 
it re-echoed the lowing of the cattle, which the oldest inhabitants of 
the mountains drove through these gates to pasture. 

From here we need to take only a few steps to return to the 
place where we began our journey. But I should like to take you 
at least a little distance under the surface of the mountain. An 
easy stairway leads us from the interior of the Flavian Palace to a 
subterranean passage, which is paved with rude mosaics ; the tint 
of the walls is yet preserved. This corridor was very practically 
contrived between the State Palace of Domitian and the house of 
Tiberius, that through it the emperors might pass to their public 
offices and work without encountering the curious multitude, stand- 
ing at any time of the day upon the open square between the 
palaces. This short passage intersects another passage, which runs 
nearly the whole length of the east side of the pleasure grounds of 
Tiberius and Caligula. 

Indeed, if we follow the subterranean passage farther toward 
the south, we can penetrate into the very interior of the mountain. 
We come then to large caves, whence the material for the most 
ancient buildings was hewn. But we will not stay long, for it is 
fearfully dark and very damp in these excavations, aside from the 
fact that the gray, crumbling wall can hardly be of any interest to 
you. We hasten back, therefore, to the lighter parts of the 
passage, and shall see that such a covered passage, lighted only at 
intervals from the ceiling, must have been a very agreeable place in 
the hot summer days. 

On the day of Caligula's death, a band of Oriental boys, enticed 
hither by the cool air of the place, must have practiced here their 
war-dances^ in which they wished to excel in the Palatian games. 



DEATH OF CALIGULA. 



93 



For this festival, as was customary, a theatre was erected near the 
northern foot of the Palatine and near the head of the Via Sacra, 
although during the preceding night the emperor had a bad dream 
— he saw himself standing near the throne of Jupiter, but was 
kicked to the ground by the god — yet he went nevertheless to the 
games, and even at one o'clock at noon, he felt no desire to rise for 
breakfast. 

Only by the persuasion of his friends was he induced to leave 
the house, but did not follow his uncle Claudius or the guards 
through the entrance of the palace, but entered the crypta near the 
temple of Jupiter to see how those boys were doing their exercises. 




The conspirators used this favorable opportunity to surprise the 
hated tyrant. Charea, the most influential among them, asked the 



94 HAWTHORNE ON ROME, 

emperor to give the password. But as the latter gave him an 
insulting answer, he rushed upon him and thrust his sword deep 
into his shoulder. Groaning with pain, Caligula tried to escape, 
but another of the confederates named Corne'lius Sabf nus stepped 
up to him and felled him to the ground. Then the rest fell upon 
him, encouraging each other to the deed, and in a short time they 
had killed and mutilated their master. 

At sight of the body, bleeding from thirty wounds, they were 
suddenly seized with terror and anguish, for they feared the revenge 
of the German body-guard devoted to the emperor. So they has- 
tened down the passage as far as the house of Livia, and remained 
concealed here until the first excitement in the palace had passed 
over. We will not follow them into the house, already familiar to 
us, but will return now through the porticus to the entrance, to rest 
from all we have seen and heard. 

Take these pages which I send you from the walls of Rome as 
a greeting which may spur you on also to follow out, in the future, 
these traces of antiquity. And, first of all, I should be glad, 
through my description, to interest you so that in reading the 
authors you will think more of where that happened of which you 
are reading. The authors, who have lived and written under an 
Italian sky, are reticent and shy in the foreign school-room. But if 
we transfer ourselves with them to their home, accompanying them 
to the market and enter their families, then they grow confiding and 
social. And, as Hawthorne says: ''To a spectator on the spot, it 
is remarkable that the events of Roman history, and of Roman life 
itself, appear not so distant as the Gothic ages which succeeded 
them. We stand in the forum, or on the height of the Capitol, and 
seem to see the Roman epoch close at hand. We forget that a 
chasm extends between it and ourselves, in which lie all those dark, 
rude, unlettered centuries, around the birthtime of Christianity, as 
well as the age of chivalry and romance, the feudal system, and the 
infancy of a better civilization than that of Rome. Or, if we re- 
member these mediaeval times, they look further off than the 



ROME FROM THE JANICULUM. 



95 




96 JOYFUL INTERCOURSE WITH THE ROMAN WRITERS. 

Augustan age. The reason may be that the old Roman literature 
survives, and creates for us an intimacy with the classic ages, which 
we have no means of forming with the subsequent ones." 

Learn, therefore, to understand the language of the Romans 
thoroughly, so as to be able to converse with them at ease, and be 
assured that you will forget the painful task of the grammar in the 
joyful intercourse, that you will feel a rare joy if you at a later time 
shall be permitted to greet on the very spot, as old and dear ac- 
quaintances, these temples and houses, these squares and streets, 
these valleys and hills. ■ . " 

" Alas, for Tully.'s voice, and Virgil's lay. 
And Livy's pictured page ! — but these shall be 
Her resurrection." 



FINIS. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



020 146 538 2 




m 



